RussianSoviet Aircraft Carrier & Carrier Aviation Design & Evolution

130 Pages·2016·10.81 MB·English

by  Hugh Harkins

Russian/Soviet Aircraft Carrier & Carrier
Aviation Design & Evolution Volume 1

Seaplane Carriers, Project 71/72, Graf
Zeppelin, Project 1123 ASW Cruiser & Project
1143-1143.4 Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser

HUGH HARKINS
Copyright © 2016 Hugh Harkins
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 153753484X
ISBN-13: 978-1537534848

Russian/Soviet Aircraft Carrier & Carrier Aviation Design &
Evolution
Volume 1

Seaplane Carriers, Project 71/72, Graf Zeppelin, Project 1123 ASW
Cruiser & Project 1143-1143.4 Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser

© Hugh Harkins 2016

Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN 10: 153753484X
ISBN 13: 978-1537534848

This volume first published in 2016

The Author is identified as the copyright holder of this work under sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
Cover design © Centurion Publishing & Createspace

Page layout, concept and design © Centurion Publishing & Createspace

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical or
photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher

The publisher and author would like to thank all organisations and services for their
assistance and contributions in the preparation of this volume: JPSC Nevskoe Design
Bureau; Krylov State Research Centre; United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC);
Admiralty Shipyards; Russian Helicopters; S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space
Corporation Energia; NPO Almaz; JSC Scientific Production Association Alloy;
NPO Mashinostroyenia; Strela PA; Concern-Agat; JSC Concern Radio-Electronic
Technologies (KRET); Rostec Corporation; JSC Klimov; Yakovlev OKB; NPO
Saturn; Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (MODRF); USN; US DoD; UK
MoD; Naval History & Heritage Centre; United States National Archives; Google
Earth

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION i
1 1914-1950’S – SEAPLANE CARRIERS, PROJECT 71/72 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS 1
AND THE GRAF ZEPPELIN
2 PROJECT 1123, MOSKVA & LENINGRAD – ASW HELICOPTER CARRYING 21
CRUISERS FOR A CHANGING GEO-MILITARY CLIMATE
3 PROJECT 1143-1143.4 – KIEV, MINSK, NOVOROSSIYSK AND BAKU 41
(ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET OF THE SOVIET UNION, GORSHKOV)
4 OTHER SIGNIFICANT SOVIET/RUSSIAN AVIATION CAPABLE SHIPS – 93
PROJECT 1174, PROJECT 11780 AND PROJECT 1144
5 SHIPBORNE AVIATION – HELICOPTERS AND FIXED WING V/STOL 101
AIRCRAFT
6 APPENDICES 129
7 GLOSSARY 130

INTRODUCTION

In 2016, there were five Russian/Soviet designed and built aircraft carriers in existence, three
of which were in operational service; the Project 1143.5 Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet
Union, Kuznetsov in Russian Federation naval service, the INS Vikramaditya (formerly the
Project 1143.4 Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser Baku/Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet
Union, Gorshkov) in Indian naval service and the incomplete former Soviet Project 1143.6
Varyag in service with the Peoples Liberation Army Navy of China as the Liaoning. The other
two carriers, the Project 1143 Kiev and Minsk Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruisers had been
decommissioned and formed museum exhibits in China.
This two volume series sets out to detail the stable of Russian/Soviet designed and built
significant aircraft carrying vessels and their integral shipborne aviation assets. While
Volume 2 will focus on the stable of conventional take-off carriers in service and projected
future vessels, this first volume, Volume 1, focusses predominantly on the operational design
genesis of the major aircraft carrying vessels of the Soviet era, the Project 1123 Moskva
Class Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopter carrying Cruisers and the Project 1143-1143.4 Kiev
and Improved Kiev Class Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruisers. Space is allocated to early
aviation carrying projects commencing with the Seaplane Carriers of World War 1 to aircraft
carrier concepts of the 1930’s and 1940’s and the German Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier that
fell into Soviet hands at the end of World War II in Europe. An overview of other helicopter
carrying vessels of the Soviet and Russian Federation eras is provided, including the Project
1174 Ivan Rogov Class Amphibious Assault Ships and the unbuilt Project 11780 helicopter
carrying Assault Ship design of the early 1980’s.
The development of the Moskva Class, and subsequently the Kiev Class, was, it could be
argued, intrinsically linked to the development of ballistic and cruise missile submarines.
These ships were in effect the first and second generation of Soviet aircraft carrying vessels
that, with the introduction of the fourth of the Kiev Class, extended into the third generation.
The various elements of the ships, such as major defensive and offensive weapon systems are
covered in detail as is the operational doctrine that led to such ships coming into being. A
separate chapter deals with the various aviation assets that would make up the air groups of
the Moskva and Kiev Class – helicopter and vertical/short take-off and landing fixed wing.
All technical information regarding the warships, systems and weapons has been provided
by the respective design houses, developers and builder/manufacturers, as has much of
photograph and graphic material used throughout the volume, which is also supported by
photograph and graphic material from third party sources such as the Defence and
intelligence service Departments of various NATO nations.
1

1914-1950’S – SEAPLANE CARRIERS, PROJECT 71/72 AIRCRAFT
CARRIERS AND THE GRAF ZEPPELIN

In the second decade of the 21st century, design studies were underway with the aim of
building a nuclear powered aircraft carrier for the Russian Federation Navy to replace that
services sole conventional powered Aircraft Carrying Heavy Cruiser, Admiral of the Fleet of
the Soviet Union, Kuznetsov, which was, by that time, in her third decade of service, the four
aircraft carrying cruisers of the Kiev Class and the two Moskva Class helicopter carriers
having long since been retired. The design and building road to produce a Soviet and later
Russian aircraft carrier force had been long and arduous, the Soviet Union facing trials and
tribulations faced by no other aircraft carrier building nation. Among these were the wartime
sieges, massive depletion of workforces due to the horrific death tolls on the eastern front and
enemy occupation of land mass or cutting off of build and design centres. On top of this was
the fact that wartime priorities for production resources inevitably went to the land and air
forces locked in the largest clash of armies the world had ever seen as the Soviet Union
struggled, first for survival and then to expel the Axis invaders from its soil before
continuing on to take Berlin, the German capital, in 1945.
There are several points in history that could be defined as the commencement of air
operations from ships at sea. However, it is an incontestable fact that the type of ship known as
the aircraft carrier was born out of the labour pains of World War 1. There were, however,
several landmark events leading up to the aircraft carrier as defined in the 20th and 21st
centuries. For example, in 1806 the Thames Class Frigate HMS Pallas (launched in 1804),
deployed kites used to scatter anti-Napoleon leaflets over France during the Napoleonic Wars,
this considered to be the first air operation launched from a ship at sea. The first offensive air
operation from a ship is considered to have taken place in 1849 when the Austrian ship
Vulcano launched Montgolfiere hot air balloons on a failed attempt to drop small size bombs
on the city of Venice. The pioneers of these audacious early ship launched air operations
could hardly have dreamt that by the early 20th century powered flight would become a reality,
and that such machines would be operating from ships at sea.

The Kiev Class epitomised Soviet aircraft carrier design at the height of the Cold War. This raised frontal aspect
view of the Baku, an Improved Kiev Class vessel, shows to advantage much of the weapons/sensor suite, most
obvious of the former being the large slab antennas for the Mars Passat air/surface search radar complex and most
obvious from the latter being the launch containers for P-500 anti-ship cruise missiles forward of the
superstructure. USN
A far cry from the capability offered by Cold War era and modern day aircraft carriers, during World War 1 the
Imperial Russian Navy operated a number of Seaplane Carriers including the Orlitza (pictured) which served with
the Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet. NHHC

In the years proceeding World War 1, a new classification of warship emerged in the shape
of the Seaplane Carrier. The first true seaplane carrier is considered to have been the French
vessel Foudre, which was converted from a torpedo boat tender to carry seaplanes, from
1911, housed in a covered hanger on the main deck.
In Britain, the Royal Navy converted the Protected Cruiser HMS Hermes to a Seaplane
Tender for trials in 1913. Having been paid off at the end of 1913, Hermes was
recommissioned as a Seaplane Tender in August 1914, the month World War 1 started, ,but
was sunk by a German Submarine a short time later.
There were a not insignificant number of merchant vessels and warships converted to
serve as seaplane tenders/carriers in several navies during the war years of 1914-1918,
including several such vessels that would serve with the Imperial Russian Navy in the Black
Sea and Baltic Sea theatres. The first such vessel was the Seaplane Carrier Almaz, converted
from the Cruiser of the same name (completed in 1903) in 1914.
The Almaz, in her incarnation as a Seaplane Carrier, was destined to serve in the Imperial
Russian Black Sea Fleet, mainly out of the port of Novorossiysk on the Russian Black Sea
coast. She carried an embarked force of Grigorovich M-5 Type seaplanes that were tasked
with general reconnaissance and fire support spotting duties. In the turmoil, commencing in
February 1917, leading to the October 1917 Revolution that would ultimately through various
twists and turns lead to the state recognized as the Soviet Union (USSR - Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics), the Almaz changed hands several times, at various times being in the
charge of Ukraine, Germany and Britain before being turned over to the White Russian Fleet
opposed to the Red Russian (future Soviet) forces. Following the acceptance of defeat and the
internment of the White Russian Fleet in Algiers in French North Africa in 1920, the vessel
was turned over to France in 1928 and ultimately scrapped in 1934.
Top: The Cruiser Almaz, which joined the Imperial Russian Black Sea Fleet in 1911, is shown to the rear/right of
the Battleship Tri Sviatitelia at Sevastopol in 1914, before she was converted to a Seaplane Carrier. Above: A
Grigorovich M-5 Type flying boat is hoisted aboard the Almaz. NHHC

Previous page top: The Seaplane Carrier Imperator Alexander I. Previous page bottom: The Seaplane Carrier
Imperator Nikola I. This page top: The Seaplane Carrier Orlitza. Above: The Seaplane Carrier Ruminia. NHHC