Russia Planning All-new Aircraft Carrier

Russian experts are evaluating the need to build a new aircraft carrier while work is already underway to create its design.

"The Russian Ministry of Defense, together with industrial enterprises is analyzing the demand for an aircraft carrier as well as studying the possibility of its technical implementation. Now work is underway to assess the financial and technological risks in the construction of such a ship. We continue to work on the appearance of a promising aircraft carrier," Andrei Yelchaninov, first deputy chairman of the board of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission (MIC), said in an interview with Interfax.

The Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov that was damaged in a fire in 2019 will return to service in 2023.

“The state customer has set the deadline for the completion of all repairs and modernization of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier - 2023. In Murmansk, work is being completed on the reconstruction of dry dock chambers at the branch of Zvezdochka TsS JSC. The ship is planned to be put there in 2022. Taking into account all types of tests, ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ should be handed over to the Navy in due time,” Yelchaninov said.

Head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov has repeatedly spoken about the readiness of enterprises to build a new aircraft carrier. “I am convinced that the implementation of the project to create an aircraft carrier (and its air group) can lead to a technological breakthrough for more than 10 years in many segments of the economy and industry. In addition to shipbuilding - also in aircraft construction, mechanical engineering, nuclear technology, instrument making, IT, weapons production , metallurgy and metalworking," Rakhmanov told the state media earlier.

Also read: Russia's Proposed Aircraft Carrier to Have Ski Jump, Electromagnetic Catapult Launch

Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov in an interview with Interfax in 2019 said that the issue of building a new aircraft carrier is controversial. "For the Americans, aircraft carriers are an absolute must, they are located on another continent. To maintain their presence, they simply need it. An aircraft carrier needs serious means of protection. It must have a group that constantly accompanies it," Borisov said then.