Date: May 10th, 2014 11:34 AM Author: khaki hall dog poop
The Kuz is an aircraft carrying missile cruiser and not merely an aircraft carrier. It packs the same offensive punch as a Kirov cruiser. The catapult is not a limiting factor in offensive payload for the Flanker. They can operate with full payload. Lack of catapult simply limits opps tempo -- takes longer to take off.
Tug is not issue of reliability. Tugs always follow Russian ships -- including every destroyer. Russia lacks foreign ports it can call on. Tugs carry fresh water and spare missiles. Russian ships never have to call on a foreign port for resupply.
The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier, was launched in 1985 and joined the fleet in 1991. Since then the 55,000-ton, fossil-fuel-powered flattop has managed just four frontline deployments—all of them to the Mediterranean, and all of them just a few months in duration.
By contrast, American flattops typically deploy for at least six months every two years. The nuclear-powered USS Enterprise, commissioned in 1962, completed 25 deployments before leaving service in 2012.
One of Admiral Kuznetsov’s major problems is her powerplant. The vessel is powered by steam turbines and turbo-pressurized boilers that Defense Industry Daily generously described as “defective.” Anticipating breakdowns, large ocean-going tugs accompany Admiral Kuznetsov whenever she deploys.
Poor maintenance makes life difficult and dangerous for Admiral Kuznetsov’s 1,900 sailors. A short circuit started a fire off Turkey in 2009 that killed one seaman.
Her pipes are bad. “When it’s this cold, water freezes everywhere including pipes which may cause a rupture,” English Russia reported. “To prevent this, they just don’t supply almost 60 percent of the cabins with water (neither in winter nor in summer). The situation with latrines is just as bad. The ship has over 50 latrines but half of them are closed.”
Almost 2,000 men. Twenty-five latrines. Do the math. Training and morale are so poor that in 2009 Admiral Kuznetsov sailors apparently botched an at-sea refueling, spilling hundreds of tons of fuel into the Irish Sea, pictured at left.
And even when the ship functions as intended, her design limits her utility. Admiral Kuzentsov does not have steam catapults like American flatttops do. Instead, her Sukhoi fighters launch into the air off a bow ramp. The fighters must stay light, meaning they can carry only a few air-to-air missiles and a partial fuel load. Their patrol endurance is measured in minutes rather than hours.
English Russia summed up the Russian aircraft carrier’s fundamental limitations succinctly. “Actual aircrafts visit this ship pretty rarely.”
1. it's your ONLY FUCKING SHIP in your ENTIRE FUCKING SHIT NAVY that is under some definitions an aircraft carrier
2. even your own goddamn navy calls it an aircraft cruiser
3. it launched THIRTY FUCKING YEARS AGO
4. U.S. has 7 (real, not pussyfucking cruiser shit) carriers newer than it
5. MOTHER FUCKING THAILAND has the same number of carriers and their carrier is over ten years newer
6. i just have to repeat that again in case it didn't sink in your mongoloid head the first time. GODDAMN FUCKING THAILAND HAS A BETTER, MORE MODERN CARRIER FLEET THAN FUCKING SHIT ASS RUSSIA
7. in a presently excellent twist this one fucking shit "carrier" that Russia is able to muster was BUILT IN THE FUCKING UKRAINE.
Date: May 10th, 2014 6:05 PM Author: khaki hall dog poop
The US is a naval power. The Russian Federation is a land power. Russia has 16 more tank brigades -- equivalent of 8 tank divisions more than the US. If they scrapped that land power they could operated a few more carriers, but god only knows why they would.
Date: May 10th, 2014 12:00 PM Author: khaki hall dog poop
Not stunts. The Minsk is part of the Syria Express. They are running arms to Damascus 24/7. The Kuz was there protecting the 13 odd BDK's that make the run. With Crimea pacified the BSF can take over. The Kulakov will meet the cruiser Mosckva to take over for the Kuz. Putin is delivering 25-30,000+ tons to Assad every month.