An aircraft carrier Russian fleet?
Powerful, beautiful warships at all times were the hallmark of the state and the subject of national pride of the people. In Russia, there are also such ones - the Peter the Great heavy nuclear missile cruiser and the Admiral heavy aircraft carrier fleet Soviet Union Kuznetsov. " Both ships are the legacy of the great country of the Soviet Union. Time passes, and more and more often on the pages of open media, questions are raised about the modernization and replacement of these unique ships in their own way. After all, they are not only heavy in the navy classification, but also heavy in the economic burden on the navy budget. Most of the reviews, opinions and comments boil down to the fact that Russia should have one, two, three aircraft carriers. Ura-patriots, not bothering, argue with questions of prestige: Spain, Brazil and Thailand have aircraft carriers, and so great Russia must have such a ship! Do you argue against the iron argument! Sailors from the military argue that it is necessary to create an air defense umbrella over the formation of a naval group at the passage by the sea and to accumulate invaluable experience using the deck aviation for the future. Everything is also competent and for the future! I allow myself to disagree with the majority and try to substantiate the point of view that Russia does not need aircraft carriers.
In the current economic situation in the country and in the world it is difficult to understand the real cost of designing, building, equipping and operating an aircraft carrier with a displacement 80-100 thousand tons in Russia with the numbers of millions and billions of different currencies. It is only clear that in scale this will be comparable to the Sochi Winter Olympics, the bridge to the Crimea or the Vostochny cosmodrome, both in time and in money.
Currently in Russia there is no experience in designing ships of this class. References to the Soviet experience of the Ulyanovsk project are not taken seriously. We cannot afford on such a scale “the first pancake”, and the school has been accumulating for decades. The generation of the creators of the "Varyag" has gone, without realizing the dream of the first real aircraft carrier to the end.
The next, and most important, question: where, who and how will build an aircraft carrier. The Nikolaev shipyards are now abroad, lost forever. Creating an enterprise with the appropriate infrastructure from scratch for the construction of one or three ships in the Far East or in the north of the country can be calculated by economists. The figures are likely to be astronomical, and the country's deficient budget simply will not pull them, but there is no hope for foreigners or their investors. Starting cooperation in such a matter as building an aircraft carrier with foreign partners, whoever they are, means to attack the same rake as in the construction of the Mistral. A lot of money will be wasted, and most importantly, time, with zero result.
You can consider another option. Friendly China also dreams of a carrier fleet. Let's wait until the Chinese build themselves something better than our Varyag aircraft carrier, and order an improved version of the Chinese aircraft carrier adapted to our conditions! After all, tsarist Russia on the eve of the Russian-Japanese war was not ashamed to order in England, the "world factory", the famous cruiser Varyag, and the "factory of the world" is now China!
2036 year! Russia finally has two aircraft carriers as part of the Navy: "Admiral of the Kuznetsov Fleet" and "Admiral Makarov"! It is possible to argue about the date and name, the fact is the need to withdraw the first ship from the fleet. He provided the successor with a trained air group on modern aircraft, retaining invaluable experience. But the daily routine poses the same questions as twenty years ago. Where will be the native harbor of the mighty ship? What is the concept of combat use of the carrier group of Russia?
The first question will be answered by the time given the wisdom of the leadership of the country and the fleet, which allowed itself to have a full-fledged aircraft carrier, and, of course, should provide a decent maintenance and maintenance of such an expensive and prestigious colossus. But for what tasks the whole country for twenty years was supposed to tighten their belts? Sea wolves now will tell you with complete confidence and rare unanimity that in conditions of armed conflict both in the north of the Atlantic and in the Pacific Ocean, the only Russian aircraft carrier group will be more a game than a hunter. NATO's combined fleet in the Atlantic and the allied fleets of the United States, Japan, South Korea and others in the Pacific simply lock up the only Russian aircraft carrier in the base. After all, no one plans to bring the only AUG of the Russian fleet to a knightly duel with a similar US or NATO connection. There are no plans for amphibious operations of our fleet to the Hawaiian Islands or Midway, which may need to create an air defense umbrella and combat stability at the sea crossing.
Unfortunately, it must be admitted, both now and in the foreseeable future, the only Russian aircraft carrier will not be able to carry out combat missions to ensure versatile combat training of fleet forces and adequately demonstrate the flag of Russia in the world ocean. The use of the French aircraft carrier in the counterterrorist operation in Syria cannot be compared with the effectiveness of the actions of the Russian air group in the same country. So the presence of "Admiral Kuznetsov" in the same waters would hardly have changed. And, say, to force a presumptuous political regime for peace, as in Georgia or elsewhere, it is possible without an aircraft carrier strike group.
In the current economic situation in the country and in the world it is difficult to understand the real cost of designing, building, equipping and operating an aircraft carrier with a displacement 80-100 thousand tons in Russia with the numbers of millions and billions of different currencies. It is only clear that in scale this will be comparable to the Sochi Winter Olympics, the bridge to the Crimea or the Vostochny cosmodrome, both in time and in money.
Currently in Russia there is no experience in designing ships of this class. References to the Soviet experience of the Ulyanovsk project are not taken seriously. We cannot afford on such a scale “the first pancake”, and the school has been accumulating for decades. The generation of the creators of the "Varyag" has gone, without realizing the dream of the first real aircraft carrier to the end.
The next, and most important, question: where, who and how will build an aircraft carrier. The Nikolaev shipyards are now abroad, lost forever. Creating an enterprise with the appropriate infrastructure from scratch for the construction of one or three ships in the Far East or in the north of the country can be calculated by economists. The figures are likely to be astronomical, and the country's deficient budget simply will not pull them, but there is no hope for foreigners or their investors. Starting cooperation in such a matter as building an aircraft carrier with foreign partners, whoever they are, means to attack the same rake as in the construction of the Mistral. A lot of money will be wasted, and most importantly, time, with zero result.
You can consider another option. Friendly China also dreams of a carrier fleet. Let's wait until the Chinese build themselves something better than our Varyag aircraft carrier, and order an improved version of the Chinese aircraft carrier adapted to our conditions! After all, tsarist Russia on the eve of the Russian-Japanese war was not ashamed to order in England, the "world factory", the famous cruiser Varyag, and the "factory of the world" is now China!
2036 year! Russia finally has two aircraft carriers as part of the Navy: "Admiral of the Kuznetsov Fleet" and "Admiral Makarov"! It is possible to argue about the date and name, the fact is the need to withdraw the first ship from the fleet. He provided the successor with a trained air group on modern aircraft, retaining invaluable experience. But the daily routine poses the same questions as twenty years ago. Where will be the native harbor of the mighty ship? What is the concept of combat use of the carrier group of Russia?
The first question will be answered by the time given the wisdom of the leadership of the country and the fleet, which allowed itself to have a full-fledged aircraft carrier, and, of course, should provide a decent maintenance and maintenance of such an expensive and prestigious colossus. But for what tasks the whole country for twenty years was supposed to tighten their belts? Sea wolves now will tell you with complete confidence and rare unanimity that in conditions of armed conflict both in the north of the Atlantic and in the Pacific Ocean, the only Russian aircraft carrier group will be more a game than a hunter. NATO's combined fleet in the Atlantic and the allied fleets of the United States, Japan, South Korea and others in the Pacific simply lock up the only Russian aircraft carrier in the base. After all, no one plans to bring the only AUG of the Russian fleet to a knightly duel with a similar US or NATO connection. There are no plans for amphibious operations of our fleet to the Hawaiian Islands or Midway, which may need to create an air defense umbrella and combat stability at the sea crossing.
Unfortunately, it must be admitted, both now and in the foreseeable future, the only Russian aircraft carrier will not be able to carry out combat missions to ensure versatile combat training of fleet forces and adequately demonstrate the flag of Russia in the world ocean. The use of the French aircraft carrier in the counterterrorist operation in Syria cannot be compared with the effectiveness of the actions of the Russian air group in the same country. So the presence of "Admiral Kuznetsov" in the same waters would hardly have changed. And, say, to force a presumptuous political regime for peace, as in Georgia or elsewhere, it is possible without an aircraft carrier strike group.
Information