Posted on 01/17/2009 4:25:35 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
What future for carrier aviation?
15:46 | 15/ 01/ 2009
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Every time the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov sails to distant seas, it sparks a discussion on the future of aircraft carriers and their place in the Russian Navy. The latest sortie by Kuznetsov to the Mediterranean was no exception: on top of it all, it was marred by a fire aboard, in which a sailor died.
Commissioned in 1991, Admiral Kuznetsov for a long time faced an uncertain future - the collapse of the Soviet Union and of military planning left it without a credible air wing. Instead of a 50 aircraft complement that its hangar deck can accommodate, Kuznetsov has fifteen Su-33 fighters, three to five Su-25UTG training planes, and ten helicopters.
Another source of trouble is its boiler and turbine unit manufactured in Kharkov: it is not very reliable, while the rupture of ties with the former sister republic made its repairs problematic. As a result, Kuznetsov took up a permanent birth at ship repair yard No. 55 in Murmansk. Service aboard at that time was also difficult.
But as time went on, things began to look up. Increased funding brought the ship back in line: technical problems were solved, pilots logged their regulation hours, while the ship itself was sent on periodic cruises to practise training missions.
But ships are not distinguished for their longevity: even given a capital refit Kuznetsov is unlikely to last more than 30 to 35 years, or until 2020-25. Knowing lead times to construct ships and design aircraft, the question arises: what future is there for carrier aircraft? Without a replacement all cruises made by Kuznetsov and flights from it make no sense - the experience gained will be wasted. The answer to this question was given recently by the top officials of Russia and its armed forces: they said the country must start building aircraft carriers.
This raises a series of questions, above all concerning the ability of the Russian industry to build an aircraft carrier now. Seeing the plodding way in which Admiral Gorshkov is being upgraded for India, Russian shipbuilders are unlikely to do without foreign assistance, and the Russian naval commander-in-chief's interest in French shipbuilding is understandable.
Another thing to remember is that a carrier requires several types of planes, basing facilities, a trained crew, and a sea-going escort. At issue is not the building and commissioning of a hull several tens of thousands of tons in displacement, but of re-establishing a navy as a balanced fighting service provided with everything necessary for action.
It will not take long to find out whether or not this country is capable of doing this: just a few years.
I hope that the Russian efforts are successful (as well as those of China) because the United States needs a wake-up call. We are down to 11 carrier groups and without a formidable carrier presence by other countries, we will continue to draw that down to dangerously low levels.
Yep.
When the next BIG baloon goes up—the ball starts with attacks on our carriers. ALL of them.
(Whaddya think the Japs were really after on 11/7/41?)
“Whaddya think the Japs were really after on 11/7/41?”
Nuthin’... but on 12/7/41 they really wanted out carriers :)
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
JB
The biggest mistake by the Japs on 12/7/41 was that they didn’t return, at their liesure, to destroy all the fuel oil tanks just sitting there to be destroyed. That fuel proved to be the fuel that brought the japs to a tie at Coral Sea, and then their defeat at Midway in June 42. all because they didn’t destroy the fuel tanks that were totally unguarded later on the day on Dec. 7th.
Yup. CDR Mitsuo Fuchida, the commander of the air strike groups, practically begged ADM Nagumo to allow him to lead another strike at the oil facilities. Nagumo, cautious to a fault, denied the request.
I was first.
How many names has this thing had? First it was Tblisi, then, just USSR. . .
Maybe I'll get lucky and watch from the S. China sea. Popcorn and beer for everyone!
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With oil now under $40, I wonder just how many of those will still get built? ;-)
Admiral Paul Gillchrist’s book “Feet Dry” (which should be read by every carrier fan) opens with a story about the start of a Med cruise when he was CAG and the entire air wing was coming aboard near dusk. He tells how all the different types make good approaches without a single wave-off. As the last plane is aboard, a blinker message comes across from the “trawler” shadowing his carrier. “Your pilots fly good”
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