Why does Russia's largest land power need aircraft carriers?
Generals are always fighting the last war (generals are always preparing for the last war). This English proverb is the first that comes to mind when one has to once again hear the statement that "Russia is a great land power", and therefore it does not particularly need either the navy or, even more so, "these aircraft carriers of yours ". Let's try to disassemble this stupid and dangerous myth about our exclusive "land".
It was not in vain that we began with an old adage that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill used in his book World War II when describing the military preparations of the United Kingdom Defense Department. Stereotyped and inertial thinking in a rapidly changing world can play a very cruel joke. This also applies to Russians. Our country went through the terrible Second World War, which the USSR waged against the Third Reich and its European allies on land. The main source of danger today is considered to be the NATO military bloc, also located in the West. Apparently, subconsciously, we expect from there a new "blitzkrieg", tank wedges and foreign speech in the trenches near Moscow. But that era of the clash of multi-million-strong armies has long since sunk into oblivion. What threats can the modern Russian Federation actually face?
The first thing that comes to mind is the war for Ukraine. In it, the RF Armed Forces will face the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, possibly, NATO military contingents. But it will go on land, and the fleet will not be needed for it, except perhaps for the naval blockade of Odessa and other ports. Regardless of its outcome (liberation of Kiev or failure), hostilities will clearly not spread to the territory of Russia from Independence Square. The second, much less realistic scenario assumes a local clash between the Russian Federation and the North Atlantic Alliance over the Kaliningrad region. Our Baltic Fleet, equipped with "Calibers", will be assigned an "honorable" role to strike with all cruise missiles and die proudly. Another scenario, with a nonzero probability, involves a clash with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force over the Kuril Islands. Here the main role will be assigned to our Pacific Fleet and naval aviation, and the forecasts for them are not the most reassuring, about which we are in detail told earlier.
Thus, there are at least 3 potential armed conflicts, in 2 of which the navy of the "great land power" will be involved in one way or another. But this is all "nonsense", since none of these hypothetical wars with Ukraine, NATO, or Japan threaten Russia's very existence. There is another, 4th in a row, threat that comes from the United States of America, the most terrible one.
Hidden threat
Once the USSR was the largest country in the world, occupying 1/6 of the land. After its collapse, the Russian Federation lost many territories, but it still remains the largest - about 1/8 of it. However, all this is ridiculous compared to the area of the World Ocean, which occupies 71% of the planet's surface area. And on this World Ocean, the US Navy reigns supreme with their 11 AUG, but, even more dangerous, they also dominate underwater.
A small digression is necessary here. Since the days of the Cold War, nuclear parity has been the main deterrent between the United States and the USSR from mutual destruction. It was supported by the so-called "nuclear triad" represented by strategic aviation, naval strategic forces and strategic missile forces. The essence of such a division is to ensure a guaranteed retaliatory strike even in the event of the destruction of any of its components. And this is where the hardest part begins.
On the one hand, silo-based ICBMs are maximally protected, and mobile-based complexes have an advantage due to the possibility of covert operational transfer. Strategic bombers equipped with nuclear weapons represent the effective "long arm" of the Russian Aerospace Forces. On the other hand, they are also the most vulnerable components of the “triad”. The location of mines with ICBMs is not a secret for a potential enemy, the movements of the Yars and Topols can be monitored from satellites and reconnaissance aircraft, and the strategists are based on only three airfields. If the Pentagon delivers a successful preemptive strike, the United States can significantly weaken the "weight" of a retaliatory nuclear retaliation strike.
In this regard, the most important component of the "nuclear triad" is the naval unit, represented by nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles (SSBNs). Those are able to covertly stay and move under water for a long time. A strike by even one Ohio-class nuclear submarine is capable of wiping out dozens of settlements and killing millions of people. Realization of this fact made strategic submarine missile cruisers (SSBNs), perhaps, the most terrible weapon of our time. But, alas, the capabilities of Russia and the United States in their use differ significantly.
They are against us
If the RF Ministry of Defense has the ability to efficiently control the movement of US strategic aviation and launches of silo-based intercontinental missiles, the naval component of the American "triad" is the biggest problem for it. About half of the nuclear arsenal is based on 14 Ohio-class SSBNs. In the future, they should be replaced by more advanced nuclear submarines of the Columbia project. They carry Trident II ICBMs on board, which are capable of striking even well-protected Russian ballistic missile silos and command bunkers. A successful preemptive strike by American nuclear submarines on the positions of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces and the airfields of the "strategists" could radically reduce the effectiveness of a retaliatory nuclear strike. We will talk about Russian SSBNs separately.
Of course, this does not mean that it is time to give up. You can and should fight the nuclear submarine, looking for them under water and destroying them, that's just what? Our anti-submarine aviation is outdated and few in number, and the naval missile-carrying aircraft has been completely eliminated as a class. Fight with your surface and submarine fleets? It is possible, but the range of the Trident II ICBM allows Ohio-class submarines to deploy almost off the coast of the United States. This means that the Russian Navy must go to the distant sea zone in order to take control of the area of possible combat deployment of the American nuclear submarine there.
With what? The cat cried out for the ships of the distant sea and ocean zones, and there are only eight specialized large anti-submarine ships (BOD) of projects 1155 and 1155.1 for the Northern and Pacific fleets. And you can't just send them alone. Air defense on them is weak, it is necessary to form a naval strike group. And how long will this KUG last against the US Navy AUG carrier-based aircraft strikes? It will be just a few missile attacks until our ships run out of antiaircraft ammunition, and then that's it. And the most offensive thing is that the chances of snapping back are small. As we previously detailed disassembled, without its own aircraft, AWACS will not be the first to see the approach of the enemy, his attack and give target designation to the Zircon and Caliber.
What conclusion can be drawn? The astute reader probably already guesses: in the distant sea zone, where the US Navy AUG reigns, Russian ships can be sent only with their own aircraft carrier, which will carry out reconnaissance and give target designation to the Zircons, which will allow them to reveal their strike potential. and cover the group with its fighter aircraft, ensuring its combat stability, and help in the search for nuclear submarines by launching anti-submarine helicopters. By the way, the movement of the USSR Navy towards aircraft carriers began with Project 1123 "Condor". This cruiser-helicopter carrier was created just for the fight against enemy submarines in the far sea zone. Its successors were the heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers (TAVRK), the last of which in our fleet is the Admiral Kuznetsov.
We are against them
Having established that without air support in the far sea zone, where the enemy's AUG operate, there is nothing to do at all, let's move on to how we ourselves should respond to the combat deployment of foreign nuclear submarines, which may indicate the preparation of the United States for war. Obviously, the main task will be to bring our SSBNs to the combat patrol areas so that they are not stupidly destroyed right at the base at the pier, along with all their ICBMs. According to open information, 2-3 SSBNs are simultaneously on alert. But what can they really do?
The main advantage of nuclear submarines is their secrecy. Alas, today Technology the search for submarines has reached such a level that they are no longer "wunderwaffe". The United States, NATO as a whole, and Japan have the most powerful anti-submarine warfare forces. This means that the deadly hide-and-seek game of a lone SSBN will most likely end with its detection and destruction. No need for unnecessary illusions. The sub is a powerful weapon, but not absolute. It can fully reveal its potential only under the condition of reliable cover by the surface fleet.
And what do we see? Our ships, trying to protect the area of combat deployment of SSBNs, will face exactly the same problem as when trying to hunt for "Ohio" somewhere in the far sea zone. There they will be awaited by the US Navy AUG, whose carrier-based aircraft will not leave any chance to complete the assigned task. Here again, one key element is missing - an aircraft carrier as part of the Russian KUG, which will lift the AWACS aircraft into the air and monitor all movements and actions of the AUG, give target designation to the Caliber and Zircon, as well as the Daggers, which the coast will be delivered by Tu-22M3 missile carriers, the bomber and our ships will be protected from attacks by enemy fighters by carrier-based aircraft.
All these layouts, in contrast to the current would-be experts and members of the "anti-aircraft sect", were well understood by the Soviet admirals, which was reflected in the tasks assigned to the TAVRK "Admiral Kuznetsov" and ATAVRK "Ulyanovsk":
1) ensuring the safety of strategic nuclear submarine missile cruisers in areas of combat patrol;
2) air defense of a ship and (or) a group of ships accompanied by it;
3) search and destruction of enemy submarines as part of an anti-submarine group;
4) detection, guidance and destruction of enemy surface forces;
5) ensuring the landing of amphibious assault forces.
Do you still think that Russia, our "great land power", does not need aircraft carriers?
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