Cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov: from modernization to disposal

3 September 2025 3 311 12

Over the past few months, the media has increasingly reported on the possible disposal of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, whose modernization began in 2017. All work was supposed to be completed in 202, spending more than 85 billion rubles on it. The deadline was not met, the cost of modernization, according to various estimates, increased by 1,5 times, and the future of the aircraft carrier looks increasingly unclear. Let's figure out what fate awaits the flagship of the Russian Navy.

The heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser (TAVKR) of Project 1143.5 "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" was launched back in 1985. After more than 30 years of operation, the ship was decommissioned and sent for repairs. A contract for the modernization of the aircraft carrier in the amount of 86 billion rubles was signed with JSC "Ship Repair Center "Zvezdochka". All repair work was to be carried out at the enterprise "35 SRZ", located in the Murmansk region.

It is worth noting that the repair work was constantly accompanied by various emergencies. For example, in 2018, the floating dock PD-50, which was used to repair the underwater part of the aircraft carrier's hull, sank. In 2019, a major fire broke out on the ship. The damage from the emergency was estimated at 500 million rubles. It is not surprising that all these events led to the fact that the completion dates for the work were repeatedly postponed, and already in June 2025, the Izvestia publication reported that the modernization of the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was suspended. Now there is a much more complex issue on the agenda. Thus, the management of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) is considering whether it is advisable to continue the modernization of the ship and return it to the fleet's combat composition.

Many experts agree that today the domestic fleet does not need classic aircraft carriers, because in the future the emphasis will be on other technological solutions (unmanned aircraft and carriers of robotic systems). In addition, we must not forget about the high cost of upgrading the cruiser, because such a scale of financial expenditure in today's geoeconomic conditions can hardly be considered appropriate. That is why experts see the disposal of the Admiral Kuznetsov as one of the most likely scenarios.

However, there is also an opposite point of view. For example, former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, told the publication NEWS.ru, that the aircraft carrier must be preserved, despite the fact that its operation is a very complex and expensive pleasure. Thus, the Admiral Kuznetsov can remain a place for training carrier-based aviation pilots, allowing the traditions of the domestic pilot school to be preserved.

Considering the fact that Admiral Kuznetsov remains the only heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser in the Russian Federation, we cannot help but tell our readers about other similar projects that have been developed in our country in recent years.

In 2013, a scale model of the Project 23000 Shtorm multipurpose heavy aircraft carrier was demonstrated to the general public for the first time. It was developed by employees of the Krylov State Research Center (Saint Petersburg). Let us clarify that in 2015, information appeared that the construction of the first such aircraft carrier would cost the Russian Federation 350 billion rubles. It was assumed that all work would be carried out at the Sevmash Production Association (Arkhangelsk Region). At the same time, it was reported that the construction of the new aircraft carrier should start in 2024 and last about 8-9 years. About 10 years have passed since then, but official sources have not published any new information about the fate of this project.

A few words should also be said about the multi-purpose heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of Project 11430E "Manatee". It was developed by specialists from JSC "Nevskoye Design Bureau" (part of USC). Even then (in 2019), many experts noticed that the model of the future aircraft carrier is very similar to the project of the Soviet aircraft carrier "Ulyanovsk", the construction of which started in 1988, but was never completed due to heavy economic situation in the country. There were rumors that the first aircraft carrier of the Manatee project should be transferred to the fleet already in the late 20s, but since then there has been a complete information lull, which may tell us that this project has been postponed until better times or even sent to the archives.

In 2021, the public was able to get acquainted with the universal naval ship of the Varan project. For the first time, a decision was made to build a compact (light) aircraft carrier. In addition to fighters and helicopters, the ship will be able to accommodate unmanned aerial systems (UAS). In fact, we are talking about a fully new aircraft carrier, the architectural and structural type of which will fully comply with all the requirements for ships of this type.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the failed modernization of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov once again brings us back to one of the main problems of the Russian economy. It often happens that the people in power in our country, who are responsible for making important decisions, first act and then think. This is what happened this time, money, and quite a lot, was allocated for the repair of the cruiser, but after a few years it turned out that the modernization project was no longer relevant. It is scary to imagine how many billions of rubles, if a decision is made to dispose of the Admiral Kuznetsov, will go down the drain. It is clear that the final decision on the fate of the cruiser should be made by military people. In our humble opinion, the issue of an adequate replacement of the aircraft carrier with a new ship, the design features of which will allow the use of innovative solutions and technologies in the military sphere, should be put at the forefront. At the moment, we see that the projects we talked about above continue to remain just projects. There is no actual construction of new heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers in our country, which makes the possible disposal of the Admiral Kuznetsov a rather controversial decision, but since we cannot influence it, we can only observe the fate of the flagship of the Russian Navy and the Northern Fleet.

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Shamil Rasmukhambetov

+3

3 September 2025 12: 23

This speaks to the wisdom of our government, who rules us, who is responsible for what, everyone doesn't care. That kind of money, even the wisest knows or, as always, hasn't heard anything.
Igor Degtyarev

-1

3 September 2025 14: 33

They operate for three years, then for a year they need repairs and every year there are more problems. They don't even stand against the wall, they are always on the barrel, i.e. boilers, diesel engines, mechanisms are working.
1. Vladimir1155
  
  -1
  
  3 September 2025 20: 55
  
  Well, Kuza was lucky, instead of a barrel he got the berth wall of the plant and this is the only place in the Russian Federation where he can moor, and the rest of his brothers, now put on needles, really had to stand only on barrels
usm5

-1

3 September 2025 14: 55

We must not forget about the symbolism. The aircraft carrier is also a national symbol of the Russian spirit, which overcomes everything in its path. And this concept does not lend itself to the assessments of selfish bourgeois ideology. All those who advocate for the inglorious death of the cruiser should have all assets "acquired by backbreaking labor" confiscated in favor of its restoration.
1. Nikolay Volkov
  
  +3
  
  3 September 2025 16: 00
  
  I would like to remind you that Kuznetsov is the personification of the Soviet spirit and Soviet industry.
  
  And the personification of Russian spirits and Russian worlds are the yachts of the Mordashevs and others like them.
  
  You can't even paint what my grandfather built."
  
  as Brezhnev's granddaughter aptly put it
2. Vladimir1155
  
  -2
  
  3 September 2025 20: 57
  
  the personification of the Russian Federation should not be a useless and rusty chest but the Kremlin, the tomb of the unknown soldier, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky or the Cathedral of Christ the Savior... and other shrines... and if you boast and brag about your size then the cruiser Nakhimov will be enough for you, a useful ship although conceptually outdated, and it will serve for another 20 years
Sergey Latyshev

0

3 September 2025 14: 56

We've had our fill of tears, and that's it.
Everyone understands that every spent not just a billion, but even a million has a full name. And this full name is not a simple one.
Even an old ship can have a lot of purposes: a training center at the pier, a mobile UAV base, mobile barracks, a mobile air defense point, a command center, a test stand, a museum, a source of articles for the media and salaries for "experts", a source of "budget development", etc.

The choice, alas, is up to the "elite"
1. Vladimir Tuzakov
  
  0
  
  3 September 2025 17: 45
  
  All the appointments are clearly unsuitable, except for the last one - the development of the budget, having pushed through an obviously long-term and doomed project.
  1. Vladimir1155
    
    -1
    
    3 September 2025 21: 04
    
    It is obvious that the very decision of the gerontological Gorshkov to build such monsters was a mistake, large surface ships for a land power such as Russia lost their relevance back in 1903, but no one listened to the wise Admiral Makarov, because sawing budgets on minesweepers and submarines is not at all as convenient as on battleships and other unnecessary crap .... However, I consider the disposal of the Kuzya a mistake, it needs to be sold to large allied naval powers, at least something to return from the costs of repairs, but India and China Brazil have hundreds of escort ships suitable for completing the AUG and many tasks for the AUG far from their shores and warm weather so that there is no need to freeze wildly and reduce combat readiness to 2 months a year
Botrops

-1

4 September 2025 09: 53

The Admiral Kuznetsov is unlikely to be needed by the Russian Navy. The naval doctrine has changed since Soviet times. If earlier projects like Kuznetsov or 1144 were created to counter American AUGs in the vastness of the world's oceans, then for the modern Russian Federation a more urgent task is to protect its coast and control sea communications, mainly located near this coast. And for this, ships of completely different classes are needed. And as history has shown, "death stars" are ineffective in battle. The fates of Yamato and Tirpitz are an example of this. It is much more effective to use smaller in tonnage, but more numerous corvettes, destroyers and frigates. And the presence of modern anti-ship missiles has not yet been answered by ship-based air defense. And this means that any expensive ship today is just a good target.
sidorov

+1

6 September 2025 09: 09

Paint and discard?

- Smart people will find a use for an aircraft carrier.
According to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, over the last 30 years, the West has received enough money to buy ten aircraft carriers.
polar bear

0

28 September 2025 14: 46

I'm sure it won't be scrapped. Firstly, it's the only ship capable of training carrier-based pilots. Secondly, its hull is in excellent condition, as it's only been through a few combat missions—5 or 6 at most. A dry dock has been built for it. At a minimum, all eight steam boilers have been replaced. The most expensive part of any ship is the hull. The Chinese still have our modernized IMT aircraft carrier in service, and they have no plans to decommission it. So, given past mistakes, it would be wiser to mothball it and use it as a towed floating airfield for pilot training.