KUBINKA (Moscow region), 26 Aug-RIA Novosti. An electromagnetic catapult for launching carrier-based fighters will be created in Russia, but simultaneously with the construction of an aircraft carrier, Alexey Rakhmanov, General Director of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), told RIA Novosti at the Army-2021 forum.
Currently, the Russian Navy has the only aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov", on which planes take off using a springboard installed on the deck of the ship.
"The creation of an electromagnetic catapult should be closely interrelated with the creation of an aircraft carrier on which it will be installed, the work will be carried out in parallel," Rakhmanov said.
He noted that since work on the aircraft carrier has not yet begun, it is premature to talk about the exact timing of the creation of the catapult.
In addition, Rakhmanov stressed that when making a decision on equipping a promising Russian aircraft carrier with such a catapult, it is necessary to carefully study the experience of foreign colleagues.
An electromagnetic catapult is used to accelerate objects moving in a magnetic field. The only ships equipped with it today are the American aircraft carriers of the Gerald Ford type. Traditionally, steam catapults are used on aircraft carriers.
Earlier, Rakhmanov noted that the Severodvinsk Sevmash plant will build a new Russian aircraft carrier, if such an order is received from the Ministry of Defense, for this there are both technologies and experience gained during the repair of the Admiral Kuznetsov and when creating the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
