"His combat power is not that great." The military — about the fate of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which they want to scrap

Submariner Kurdin: Admiral Kuznetsov's combat power is not that great

The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, which was launched 40 years ago, may be sold or scrapped. It makes no sense to repair such a ship [...], says Andrey Kostin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and head of VTB Bank. In his opinion, the restoration and improvement of the cruiser to modern standards will cost a huge amount.

Military experts at the request of Lenta.<url>" commented on the issue of the future fate of the ship.

The service life of the cruiser was called too long

Igor Kurdin, chairman of the St. Petersburg Club of Submariners, agrees with Kostin: the ship has been in operation for too long, and its full restoration will cost the country a tidy sum.

The specialist recalled that aircraft carriers usually do not work alone. To protect and defend them, you need to use many other ships. Speaking about the Admiral Kuznetsov, Kurdin noted that the cruiser does not have such combat power as its foreign counterparts, so there is simply no point in putting so much effort into its modernization and further use.

"I think it's not VTB, which currently controls USC, that decides whether to restore the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier. It's still up to the Navy's main command to decide whether this ship is needed or not," the expert concluded.

The name of "Admiral Kuznetsov" was urged to be preserved for future generations.

The aircraft carrier is named after one of the best naval commanders of his time, Nikolai Kuznetsov, who stood at the origins of the creation of the Soviet navy. If the ship is still decided to be sold, then its name should be left untouched, said Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma's defense committee.

Speaking about the possible restoration of the cruiser, Kolesnik noted that the final decision should be made by the country's Defense Ministry, while focusing on the military challenges that the country may face in the future.

In addition, the deputy proposed to give the next-generation cruiser the same name. "As a submariner, I believe that we need to build a nuclear submarine next and give it the name Admiral Kuznetsov. Build a strategic missile submarine. Admiral Kuznetsov's name should not go away," the politician concluded.

The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.
Source: Pavel Lvov / RIA Novosti

The cruiser was proposed to be restored to maintain its advantage on the water.

The restoration of Russia's last aircraft carrier was supported by a military expert, captain of the first rank Vasily Dandykin. He said that the country has highly qualified specialists in carrier-based aviation, whose activities cannot be imagined without aircraft carriers.

According to him, when the fleet goes out into the ocean, the power of Su-33 carrier-based fighters and other Russian aircraft cannot be replaced with something else. He called for the Admiral Kuznetsov to be put to sea as soon as possible and for a new carrier to be built so as not to lose its advantage on the water.

Dandykin referred to the military experience of other countries, recalling that China, the United States and India to this day not only maintain their aircraft carrier fleet, but also improve it.