Kiew Carrier pictures

[Stealth_HR]

WTF? JJ you are getting sloppy... :) 3 carriers?:) Soviet Navy never had a single carrier ... :) (ok ok they had 20% of one ..unless it was a cruiser too )

 

To relist it for you, the Soviet Navy had 5 fixed-wing aircraft carriers throughout the course of its history - Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk and Admiral Gorshkov (Baku), all of them operational Kiev-class, and the sole functional Kuznetsov-class, Admiral Kuznetsov (Tbilisi) itself. So far only one Kiev remains operational, the Admiral Gorshkov, since it's been sold to India for conversion into a full-scale carrier INS Vikramaditya.

 

I say full-scale because prior to conversion Kievs had a single short strip intended for Yak-38 Forger VSTOLs - with the conversion they'll be able to launch and arrest MiG-29Ks. The rest of the old Kievs was turrets and missile launchers.

 

The one unlisted fixed-wing carrier is the Varyag (Riga), the sister ship of the Kuznetsov, has been sold to the Chinese while still a skeleton.

[Alfa]

Hehe....what Tomcat1974 meant was that I have tended to use the official Russian classification "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser"(or "aviation cruiser") for these vessels because it is more descriptive of their configuration and role than what is normally associated with the term "aircraft carrier" :) .

 

Cheers,

- JJ.

[tomcat1974]

:D

[Stealth_HR]

Hehe....what Tomcat1974 meant was that I have tended to use the official Russian classification "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser"(or "aviation cruiser") for these vessels because it is more descriptive of their configuration and role than what is normally associated with the term "aircraft carrier" :) .

 

True, true. My mistake. :music_whistling:

[Guest IguanaKing]

Yup, these craft are more comparable to Tarawa class amphibious assault ships. :)

[Kula66]

Yup, these craft are more comparable to Tarawa class amphibious assault ships. :)

 

With a thumping great anti-surface missile system and an area defence SAM system thrown in!

[Alfa]

Yup, these craft are more comparable to Tarawa class amphibious assault ships. :)

 

Not at all IK :) .

 

They are essentially very large anti-submarine cruisers meant to operate on the large oceans in support of the submarine fleet - in the earliest form(Pr. 1123) they only carried ASW helicopters. The later Pr. 1143 designs grew in size partially to accomodate fixed wing aircraft(to help keep them alive) and partially to extend their endurance, but their overall role remained the same.

 

Tarawa class assault ships is something entirely different - their role is to bring landing craft + supporting fixed- and rotary CAS aircraft close to the shores of enemy territory for landing operations.

 

So the difference in nature could hardly be any more pronounced :) .

 

The closest "Western" equivalent to Soviet aviation cruiser concept would be something like the British "through-deck cruisers"(Invincible class), which from the outset were intended as ocean going ASW vessels as well......in fact I read somewhere that the Sea Harriers were something of an afterthought(since they were available and could be embarked) and that the initial plans were for them to carry ASW helicopters only....not sure whether this is correct though :) .

 

Cheers,

- JJ.

[Guest IguanaKing]

OK, they're not exactly the same in their intended roles, but they're a bit closer to each other than Kiev class and Nimitz class. ;)