TASS News Agency
Work to repair and upgrade the Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov (NATO reporting name: Kuznetsov-class) is proceeding on schedule, the ship may be delivered to the Russian Navy in the first quarter of 2024, CEO of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov said.
Rakhmanov said at the Transport Week exhibition, answering a question from journalists about the potential commissioning of the aircraft carrier in the first quarter of 2024.
“Work is in progress. We are doing everything that depends on us. As usual, any repair, if you start doing it, is always rich in surprises… We start to deal with separate sections, and obstructions are found. We have to weld here and strengthen there. But the work is on schedule. We will do everything to make this happen,”
Alexei Rakhmanov, CEO of USC
In early June, the aircraft carrier was placed into an upgraded dry dock of the 35th shipyard. The delivery of the ship was postponed to 2023.
USC Deputy CEO for Military Shipbuilding Vladimir Korolyov told TASS that the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov would complete the overhaul and upgrade in 2023 and rejoin the Navy the same year. According to him, the upgraded ship will get a completely new combat potential and will serve for at least another 10-15 years.
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Naval News comments:
Admiral Kuznetsov began the overhaul in 2017 after operating on the Syrian coast. In October 2018, it was leaving the floating PD-50 dock of the 82nd shipyard in Roslyakovo when the dock began to sink. A crane fell on the deck because of the list. On December 12, 2019, a fire broke out on the carrier. Admiral Kuznetsov is currently in the 35th shipyard in Murmansk.
Repairs are expected to cost 300 to 350 million rubles. Some of the systems aboard the vessel will be upgraded, such as the CIWS.
