What's happened to the former USSR's aircraft carriers?

From rec.aviation.military FAQ by Ross Smith

Both of the Moskva class helicopter carriers have been retired (_Leningrad_ in 1991, _Moskva_ in 1992).

Of the four 43000 tonne Kiev class carriers, three (_Kiev_, _Minsk_, and _Novorossiysk_) have been retired, leaving only one (_Admiral Gorshkov_) in service with the Northern Fleet. The Yak-38 V/STOL strike aircraft formerly assigned to the ships have also been retired; the _Gorshkov_ now carries only helicopters.

_Minsk_ and _Novorossiysk_ have been stricken for scrapping; _Kiev_ is mothballed, but will be cannibalised for parts to keep _Gorshkov_ in service. However, _Gorshkov_ itself is currently described as "inactive"; given the Russian government's chronic shortage of money, and the fact that there are no shipyards in Russia capable of servicing them (the only suitable one is in the Ukraine), it's quite possible that the entire class may disappear in the near future.

The 67500 tonne _Admiral Kuznetsov_, the only conventional aircraft carrier ever operated by the Soviet Navy, remains in service with the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet. Its sister ship, _Varyag_, remains at the Nikolayev shipyard, not quite complete. Its fate was decided in June 1994, when the Ukrainian government ordered it to be scrapped, after Russia's decision not to buy the vessel, and no success in attempts to sell it to other countries such as China and India.

The 75000 tonne, nuclear powered _Ulyanovsk_ was never completed; the hull has been scrapped.

The _Kuznetsov_, although nominally in active service, has so far been used primarily for testing aircraft and operating procedures [RAP comment: rumoured to become fully operational by August 1995], the Russian Navy having very little experience with fixed-wing carrier operations. Its primary aircraft type is the Sukhoi Su-33 single-seat multirole fighter (production version of the Su-27K prototypes), which is currently in low-rate production. The Mikoyan MiG-29K was tested aboard _Kuznetsov_ alongside the Su-27K, but has not been selected for production. A naval training version of the Sukhoi Su-25, the Su-25UTG, is also in production (a handful of another version, the Su-25UBP, were also built). The _Kuznetsov_ also carries a number of Kamov Ka-27/28/29/32 helicopters, in various subtypes.

Two AEW aircraft were developed but cancelled. The first was an AEW version of the Antonov An-72 twin-turbofan STOL transport, codenamed "Madcap" by NATO; this interesting design (the radar disc was mounted atop a forward-swept, V-shaped set of tail fins) was cancelled in favour of Yakovlev's Yak-44, a twin turboprop apparently very similar to the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye. The official reason given was that a turboprop was more efficient for the AEW role than a jet (although your FAQ compiler suspects that the fact that Yakovlev is a Russian company while Antonov is Ukrainian probably had something to do with it too). The Yak-44 has also in turn been cancelled (although a revival is being considered), and recent reports suggest that an AEW version of the Kamov Ka-32 helicopter is under development.

Assuming the _Kuznetsov_ remains in service, a strike aircraft is likely to be added to its air wing; this will almost certainly be another Su-27 variant, since the Russian air forces currently have a policy of minimising the number of different types in service by using Su-27 derivatives wherever possible. Navalised strike versions of the MiG-27, Su-24, and Su-25 were all tested on imitation flight decks on land bases, but none were ever developed into carrier-capable naval aircraft (the naval Su-25s are all trainers).

Both surviving carriers serve with the Northern Fleet, because current Russian Navy policy is to concentrate all carriers, aircraft, and pilots in one fleet.

[Much of the above is from recent magazine reports; thanks to Simon Shpilfoygel for additional information] [Oh, and thanks to John Iodice for pointing out to me that "Kuznetsov" is Russian for "Smith" :-) ]

What's the composition of an aircraft carrier's air wing?

From rec.aviation.military FAQ by Ross Smith

Russia (and the former USSR) (see also section C.13): The USSR's first serious attempt at seagoing aviation were the two 19200 tonne helicopter carriers of the Moskva class, _Moskva_ and _Leningrad_, the first being launched in 1967; these carried 15 to 18 Ka-25 helicopters of various subtypes. _Leningrad_ was retired in 1991, _Moskva_ in 1992.

They were followed in 1976 by the first of the 43000 tonne Kiev class, which eventually numbered four ships (_Kiev_, _Minsk_, _Novorossiysk_, and _Baku_; the last was later renamed _Admiral Gorshkov_), and carried the USSR's first V/STOL aircraft, the Yak-38. The air wing originally consisted of twelve Yak-38F/M strike fighters, one Yak-38U trainer, and 15 to 20 helicopters of the Ka-25 and Ka-27/28/29 families. The first three of these carriers were retired in the early 1990s, along with the entire fleet of Yak-38s; the one surviving ship, _Admiral Gorshkov_, now carries only helicopters. The four ships were actually divided into three subclasses, _Novorossiysk_ and _Baku_/_Gorshkov_ differing from the first two ships, and from each other. _Novorossiysk_ was designed for a larger air wing, although by the time it entered service, the Yak-38 was falling out of favour, and it probably carried extra helicopters rather than fixed-wing aircraft. _Gorshkov_ carried a still larger air wing, and was designed with the (now cancelled) Yak-41 in mind; the actual capacity of the ship's hangars has never been released, but it probably carries about 35 to 40 aircraft or helicopters.

The USSR's first conventional carrier, the 67500 tonne _Tbilisi_ (later renamed _Admiral Kuznetsov_), was launched in 1985. It was originally used for sea trials of a variety of naval aircraft prototypes; the aircraft types involved have now been narrowed down, and the _Kuznetsov_ is now involved in training of naval pilots and crew. When it enters full service, it is expected to carry an air wing of about 50 to 60 aircraft, comprised of about 20 Su-33 multirole fighters, perhaps another 10 to 20 strike aircraft of unknown type (probably another Su-27 derivative), a few Su-25UTG trainers, and the usual assortment of Ka-27/28/29/32 helicopters. The Yak-44 AEW aircraft has been cancelled (but a revival is being considered); a Ka-32 helicopter has been seen with what appears to be an AEW system.

_Varyag_ (formerly _Riga_), sister ship to _Kuznetsov_, was left incomplete at the Nikolayev shipyard; Russia, after dithering for several years, finally decided not to buy the ship, and (after failing to sell it to anyone else) the Ukrainian government has ordered it to be scrapped. The third large carrier, the 75000 tonne, nuclear powered _Ulyanovsk_, was never completed and has already been scrapped.

An article on Russian Naval AF from Knowledge Adventure Online.
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