Kiev class aircraft carrier

The Kiev class carriers (also know as Project 1143 or as the Krechyet (Gyrfalcon) class) were the first class of fixed-wing aircraft carriers built in the Soviet Union.

First laid down in 1970 the Kiev class was partially based on a design for a full-deck carrier proposed in Project Orel. Originally the Soviet Navy wanted a supercarrier similar to the American "Kitty Hawk" class. However, the smaller Kiev class design was chosen because it was considered to be more cost effective.

Unlike American or British carriers, the "Kiev" class is a combination of a cruiser and a carrier. In the Soviet Navy this class of ships was specifically designated as a heavy aviation cruiser rather than just an aircraft carrier. Although the ships were designed with an island superstructure to starboard, with a 2/3 length angled flight deck, the foredeck was taken up with the heavy missile armament. The intended mission of the "Kiev" class was support for strategic missile submarines, other surface ships and naval aviation, it was capable of engaging in anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and surface warfare.

A total of four "Kiev" class carriers were built and commissioned, serving in the Soviet and then Russian Navy. The first three were decommissioned, having served out their lifetimes, and have been either scrapped or sold as recreational pieces to China. The fourth ship, "Admiral Gorshkov", was sold to the Indian Navy in 2004, and is currently being modernized.

General characteristics

* Designer: Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau
* Builder: Nikolayev South (formerly Chernomorsky Shipyard 444)
* Power Plant: 8 turbopressurized boilers, 4 steam turbines (200,000 shp), four shafts
* Length: 273 meters overall (283 m for "Vikramaditya")
* Flight Deck Width: 53 meters
* Beam: 32.6 meters
* Displacement: 43,000-45,500 metric tons full load
* Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h)
* Aircraft: 26-30
** 12-13 Yak-38 VSTOL
** 14-17 Ka-25 or Ka-27/29 helicopters
* Crew: 1,200-1,600 (including air wing)
* Armament:
** Kiev and Minsk:
*** 4 × twin P-500 Bazalt SSM launchers (8 missiles)
*** 2 × twin M-11 Shtorm SAM launchers (72 missiles)
*** 2 × twin 9K33 Osa launchers (40 missiles)
*** 2 × twin 76.2 mm AA guns
*** 8 × AK-630 30 mm CIWS
*** 10 × 21" torpedo tubes
*** 1 × twin SUW-N-1 FRAS Anti-Submarine Rocket launcher
** Novorossiysk:
*** 4 × twin P-500 Bazalt SSM launchers (8 missiles)
*** 2 × twin M-11 Shtorm SAM launchers (72 missiles)
*** 2 × twin 76.2 mm AA guns
*** 8 × AK-630 30 mm CIWS
*** 1 × twin SUW-N-1 FRAS Anti-Submarine Rocket launcher
** Admiral Gorshkov:
*** 6 × twin P-500 Bazalt SSM launchers (12 missiles)
*** 24 × 8-cell 9K330 Tor vertical SAM launchers (192 missiles)
*** 2 × 100 mm guns
*** 8 × AK-630 30 mm CIWS
*** 10 × 21" torpedo tubes
* Date Deployed: 1975 ("Kiev")

Ships

* "Kiev" (1975–1993)
* "Minsk" (1978–1993)
* "Novorossiysk" (1982–1993)
* "Baku" ("Admiral Gorshkov" 1991-1995) (1987–1995), now "Vikramaditya" (EIS ca. 2010-12)

See also

* List of aircraft carriers of the Russian Navy
* List of aircraft carriers

External links

* [http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100000 Article on the Kiev Class in Russian]
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/row/rus/1143.htm Article in English from FAS]
* [http://wunderwaffe.narod.ru/Magazine/MK/2003_07/ History of the Kiev (in Russian)]
* [http://worldweapon.ru/flot/1143.1.php Project 1143 "Kiev" (in Russian)]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1143.htm Kiev Class Aircraft Carriers]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/russia/aircraft_carriers/kiev_class_overview.htm MaritimeQuest Kiev Class Overview]
* [http://www.webcom.com/~amraam/rcar.html History of soviet aircraft carrier development]