Total disaster: Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, was abandoned during a lengthy renovation, plagued by design flaws, fires and outdated technology. The carrier, built during the Cold War, runs on mazut, a tar-like fuel that poses performance and environmental concerns, unlike its modern nuclear counterparts.

-Kuznetsov’s troubled history includes failed combat deployments, accidents and multiple delays. Despite ambitious plans to return to service, resource constraints linked to the Ukrainian conflict cast doubt on the carrier’s future.

-Many are now wondering whether the troubled ship should be completely scrapped rather than diverting additional resources to an aging, problem-plagued platform.

Should Russia abandon its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov?

The renovation of Russia’s only aircraft carrier continues with no end in sight. For years now, Admiral Kuznetsov is practically wasting away in various shipyards as it undergoes “modernization” efforts in dry dock. The troubled carrier may never enter service again. Even if the Russian Navy’s flagship manages to return to sea, its checkered history, design flaws, and disappointing capabilities will do so. sideline the ship. It will be more of a burden than an asset.

Admiral Kuznetsov was supposed to adventure from the port of Murmansk this year after spending almost a decade tied to the dock. According to Russian state media last summer, the country’s only aircraft carrier was nearing the end of its renovation saga.

But that didn’t happen. The Soviet-era flattop remains in dry dock in Murmansk. As TASS reported: “According to the adjusted plan, factory sea trials of the aircraft carrier are expected to begin in spring 2024. If the tests pass without problems, the ship can be handed over to the fleet at the end of 2024. If something happens goes poorly in the tests, so a postponement to 2025 is inevitable.”

Clearly, Kuznetsov did not pass these first tests.

Presentation of Russian Admiral Kuznetsov

The only Russian carrier was built by the Black Sea Shipyard during the Cold War and officially launched in the mid-1980s. Designed as the lead ship of a two-ship Kuznetsov class, the dissolution of the Soviet Union left Kuznetsov an only child.

Kuznetsov was initially referred to as “Riga”, followed by “Leonid Brezhnev” and later “Tbilisi”. Eventually, the aircraft carrier was renamed in honor of Soviet admiral Flota Sovetskoho Soyuza Kuznetsov. The Soviets wanted Kuznetsov to function as a heavy aircraft carrier cruiser during the Cold War, capable of supporting and defending missile-carrying submarines and other aircraft. However, the carrier’s design flaws, infrastructure issues, and perhaps bad luck prevented it from accomplishing any of these missions.

Russia’s only aircraft carrier may be cursed

Unlike modern carriers powered by nuclear energy, Kuznetsov works on a gooey, tar-like substance called mazut. During the Cold War, this fuel source was popular due to its thick viscosity. While older military and commercial ships relied on mazut in the past, the substance’s many shortcomings led manufacturers to use nuclear or gas turbine propulsion systems instead.

Kuznetsov simply wasn’t built to withstand its intended lifespan. Poor piping installed during the carrier’s initial construction prevents its boilers from operating at full capacity simultaneously. This problem only compounded the disadvantages of mazut, as proper boiler and piping installations were required to ensure that it could be properly preheated and pressurized.

As before detailed by Harrison Kass, “Mazut would be considered a Bunker B or Bunker C fuel. Bunker fuels, the colloquial term for fuel oil used by ships, are divided into A, B, or C classifications, based on their point of d boiling, the length of their carbon chain and their viscosity. A is the highest quality classification. This is the lowest. Lower-quality fuel emissions, such as those from mazut, typically produce large quantities of sulfur and have negative effects on the environment and human health.

KuznetsovThe fuel problem is not the only limiting factor for the carrier. The Russian carrier uses a simple bow ramp to conduct flight operations, while its foreign counterparts have turned to magnetically powered catapults and steam catapults which perform much better. The first and only time Kuznetsov used this system in combat in 2016-2017, during its deployment to Syria. Two airframes were lost due to faulty arrestor cables during this stay in the Middle East, essentially proving that the carrier was useless.

Should Moscow abandon Admiral Kuznetsov once and for all?

KuznetsovSyria’s deployment in Syria is just one chapter in a disjointed story. Between 2016 and 2022, the carrier suffered from several fires on board, a falling craneand even an offense of embezzlement relating to the shipyard where it was formerly repaired. It seems Kuznetsov will not enter service with the Russian Navy as planned by the end of the year.

Given the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, it is unlikely that the carrier will receive enough resources, funding and manpower to allow it to sail the seas in the near future. Maybe it sucks Kuznetsov Overall, this is the best course of action for Moscow.

About the author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlinnational security editor for The National Interest, is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has contributed articles to numerous publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

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