When will the damned Admiral Kuznetsov return to service?

The pride and bane of the Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov, the only Russian aircraft carrier, is likely to be refitted in late 2024. The reason for this late return to service is due to prolonged repairs. According to TASS agency, quoting a Russian official, “Sea trials should begin next spring, followed by trials in the fall of 2024. If the vessel undergoes trials, it will be handed over to the Navy by the end of 2024. If anything goes wrong during the trials, the process will inevitably last until 2025. will be adjourned.” However, TASS warns that there is no official confirmation of this information.

Interestingly, after repairs and all modernization – as the official said – the life of the aircraft carrier will be extended by 20 years.

In April this year, it was reported that the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was without a crew. Russian media reported that the Russian Navy is appointing a new team to Admiral Kuznetsov. The reason for the new conscription was, as may be supposed, the transfer of part of the crew to other ships, and the other half to civilian life. Not to mention the fact that the war in Ukraine forced Russian forces to deploy every valuable soldier to the front line. An aircraft carrier needs more than 1,500 people to function properly. However, recruiting such a large group is not easy as it requires specialized and lengthy training.

Since 2017, Admiral Kuznetsov has been undergoing a labor-intensive overhaul, during which it caught fire several times and sank together with the dry dock. At the end of December last year, Russian media reported that the Admiral Kuznetsov, the only Russian aircraft carrier (according to the Russian classification, an air cruiser), had caught fire. At the time of the incident, it was at the docks of the Zvyozdochka plant in Murmansk. Admiral Kuznetsov’s modernization, estimated at €300 million, includes replacement of boilers, replacement of the flight deck and new electronic warfare and communications equipment, as well as modern anti-aircraft defense systems. Pansir-M. Ukrainian military intelligence reported that the ship had suffered significant hull corrosion, which would be extremely difficult to repair. Many in Russia doubt the sense of repairing the aircraft carrier due to its low combat value. It is the only Russian aircraft carrier, but due to its malfunction, pilots can only use ground complexes during training. The aircraft carrier made its combat debut in November 2016.

In early January, Duma deputy Sergei Garkinov of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party proposed buying the Liaoning aircraft carrier from China, which had been sold to China. Russia can keep two aircraft carriers, but somehow replace the faulty Kuznetsov.