Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier (RWR: SW)
//Public Intel-Report
Last updated: 20221209
RWR: SW
In-DCS Unit View:
Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier (SA-N-9)
Originators Designation: Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union "Kuznetsov"
NATO Reporting Name: SA-N-9 Gauntlet
Description: Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union "Kuznetsov", originally the name of the fifth
Kirov-class battlecruiser) is an
aircraft carrier (heavy
aircraft cruiser in Russian classification) serving[
clarification needed] as the
flagship of the
Russian Navy. She was built by the
Black Sea Shipyard, the sole manufacturer of Soviet aircraft carriers, in
Nikolayev within the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) and
launched in 1985, becoming fully operational in the Russian Navy in 1995. The initial name of the ship was
Riga; it was
launched as
Leonid Brezhnev, embarked on
sea trials as
Tbilisi, and finally named
Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov after
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.
[7]
She was originally
commissioned in the
Soviet Navy, and was intended to be the lead ship of the two-ship
Admiral Kuznetsov class. However, her
sister ship Varyag was still incomplete when the
Soviet Union disbanded in 1991.
[8] The second hull was eventually sold by
Ukraine to
China, completed in
Dalian and commissioned as
Liaoning.
[9]
As of December 2022,
Admiral Kuznetsov is out of service for a refit in
Murmansk.
[10] In November 2018, it was damaged by a falling 70-ton crane from the
floating dry dock PD-50 and a fire that killed two during the refit. The dry dock, which sank due to a power outage while holding
Admiral Kuznetsov,
[11] was vital to repairing the carrier,
[12] which changed its estimated return to service to 2022 or later.
[13] In 2021, the Vice President of the
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Vladimir Korolev, told the TASS news agency that the vessel was expected to begin post-repair sea trials in mid-2023 and rejoin the fleet later that year,
[14] although this may have been pushed back a year or more due to delays.
[15] In May 2022 it was reported that repairs to the vessel were scheduled for completion in Murmansk in September 2022
[16] but after flaws were found in the work, the date for the return to service was pushed back to at least 2024.
[17]
Specifications:
Max Engagement Range: | 6.5nm |
Max Engagement Height: | 26,000ft |
Min Engagement Height: | 300ft |
Max Speed: | M3.5 |
ECM Burn Through: | 12nm |
Warhead Weight: | |
HARM ALIC Codes:
Control Radar | 301 |
Search Radar | 320 |
Defensive Maneuvers: