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Career
Designer:	Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau
Shipyard:	Nikolayev South
Ordered:	March 3, 1981
Laid down:	February 22, 1983
Launched:	December 5, 1985
Commissioned:	January 21, 1991 Fully operational in 1995
Status:	Active in service
General characteristics
Displacement:	43 000 tonnes light 53 000-55 000 tonnes standard 66 600-67 500 tonnes full load
Length:	300 metres overall 270 metres at waterline
Beam:	73 metres overall 38 metres at waterline
Draft:	11 metres
Powerplant	Steam turbines, 8 boilers, 4 shafts, 149 MW 2×37MW turbines 9×1500 kW turbogenerators 6×1500 kW diesel generators
Propellers:	4 with fixed pitch
Speed:	32 knots
Endurance:	45 days 7100 km at 32 knots
Complement:	1960 crew 626 air group 40 flag staff 3857 rooms
Armament: Guns 8 × AK-630 AA guns (6×30 mm, 6,000 round/min/mount, 24,000 rounds) 8 × CADS-1 CIWS (each 2 × 30 mm gatling AA plus 16 3K87 Kortik SAM) Kashtan CIWS gun and missile system (256 missiles, 48,000 rounds; range: 0.5 to 1.5 km) Missiles 12× P-700 Granit SSM 18× 8-cell 3K95 Kinzhal SAM VLS (192 vertical launch missiles; 1 missile per 3 seconds) ASW 2 × RBU-12000 UDAV-1 ASW rocket launchers (60 rockets)
Aircraft: Fixed-wing 12× Su-33 5× Su-25UTG/UBP Helicopters 4× Kamov Ka-27LD32 18× Kamov Ka-27PLO 2× Kamov Ka-27S

Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (Russian: Адмирал флота Советского Союза Кузнецов, originally named Tbilisi and then Leonid Brezhnev^[1]) is an aircraft carrier (heavy aircraft carrying cruiser (TAVKR) in Russian classification) serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy. She was originally commissioned in the Soviet Navy, and was intended to be the lead ship of her class, but the only other ship of her class, Varyag, has never been commissioned and was sold to the People's Republic of China by Ukraine under the condition she would never be refitted for combat.^[2] Kuznetsov was named after the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.

Contents 1 Role 2 History and current status 3 References 4 See also 5 Gallery 6 External links

While designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov' class implies a mission different from that of either the United States Navy’s carriers or those of the Royal Navy. The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet. This designation allows the Soviet/Russian navy to circumvent the Montreux Convention, which deals with ships passing the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.^[3] However, it is not solely a political designation, as the Soviets intended their carriers to be used differently from Western conceptions of their role.

The Admiral Kuznetsov main fixed-wing aircraft is the multirole Su-33. It can perform air superiority, fleet defense, and air support missions and can also be used for reconnaissance and the searching for naval mines.^[4] It is augmented by the twin seat Su-33UB, which is also used for pilot training along with the Su-25UTG. The carrier also carries the Kamov Ka-27 helicopter for anti-submarine warfare and small transport.

For take-off of the fixed wing aircraft, the Admiral Kuznetsov utilizes a ski jump at the end of its deck. On take-off aircraft accelerate toward and up the ski-jump using their afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the deck at a higher angle and elevation than on an aircraft carrier with a flat deck and catapults. The ski jump take-off is less demanding on the pilot, since the acceleration is lower, but on the other hand results in a clearance speed of only 120-140 km/h requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds.^[5]

Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, constructed at Nikolayev South Shipyard in Nikolayev, was launched in 1985, and became fully operational in 1995. An official ceremony marking the start of construction took place on September 1, 1982; in fact she was laid down in 1983. The vessel was first named Riga, but in November 1982 the name was changed to Leonid Brezhnev, in August 1987 to Tbilisi, and finally on October 4, 1990 to Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, referred to in short as Admiral Kuznetsov. The ship was 71% complete by the summer of 1989. In November 1989 she undertook her first aircraft operation trials. In December 1991, she sailed from the Black Sea to join the Northern Fleet. Only from 1993 on did she receive aircraft.

Kuznetsov made a brief Mediterranean training cruise early in 1996. At the end of 1997 she remained immobilized in a Northern Fleet shipyard, awaiting funding for major repairs, which were halted when they were only 20% complete. The overhaul was finally completed in July 1998, and the ship formally returned to active service in the Northern fleet on November 3, 1998. The Kuznetsov apparently remained in port for about two years before participating in operations related to the rescue and salvage of the Kursk submarine in late 2001. Plans for further operations were postponed or cancelled. In late 2003 and early 2004, the Kuznetsov went to sea for inspection and trials. In late October 2004, she participated in a fleet exercise of the Russian navy in the Atlantic Ocean,^[6] and again in September 2005. During the 2005 exercise, one of her Su-33 fighters was involved in an accident, and fell from the carrier into the Atlantic Ocean.

Although financial and technical problems have resulted in limited operations for the ship, it is expected that Admiral Kuznetsov will remain in active duty until at least 2030.^[7]

On September 27, 2006 it was announced that Admiral Kuznetsov will return to the Northern Fleet by the end of the year. The ship will undergo another modernization refit, in an attempt to correct some of its many technical issues. Admiral Vladimir Masorin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, also stated that several Su-33 fighters assigned to the aircraft carrier would return to the ship after undergoing maintenance and refits of their own.

On December 11, 2007, Admiral Kuznetsov unexpectedly passed by Norwegian platforms, 60 nautical miles outside Bergen, Norway. The carrier launched aircraft between the rigs operating on the Norwegian oil sector. The incident caused the Norwegian helicopter service to stop its flights out to the rigs, due to a risk of collision with Russian aircraft operating from the carrier. Su-33 fighters, together with Kamov helicopters, launched from the carrier while on maneuvers in the area of the rigs. The Russian carrier was in international waters during the maneuvers.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, where it will participate on an exercise together with 11 other Russian Navy surface ships and 47 aircraft. It is going to perform 3 tactical training missions, using live and simulated missile launches, and both air and surface missiles. ^[8]

The Moscow-based military analyst Dr Felgenhauer believes that the accident-prone Admiral Kuznetsov is scarcely seaworthy and is more of a menace to her crew than any putative enemy.^[9]

• List of aircraft carriers
  • List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union

v • d • e Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
Admiral Kuznetsov · Varyag List of ships of the Soviet Navy

• Article on GlobalSecurity.org about the Kreml class aircraft carrier.
• General information and images on www.naval-technology.com
• [1]
• Su-33 - A video clip with Su-33 operating on the deck of Kuznetsov.
• [2] - RIA Novosti article on the Kuznetsov rejoining the Northern Fleet