Russia Plans It Big: The 'Super' Aircraft Carrier

Russia has revealed key details of a new supercarrier it plans to build.

In a new interview with IHS Jane’s, Valery Polyakov, the deputy director of Russia's government-owned Krylov State Research Center, the company designing the new carrier, outlined some new details about the ship, which is being billed as Project 23000E or Shtorm (Storm).

According to Polyakov,, the vessel will displace between 90,000 and 100,000 tons, roughly double the size of any carrier Russia has built to date. It will also be 330 meters in length, 40 meters wide, and have a draft of 11 meters. The carrier will have a cruising speed of 20 knots (kt), with a top speed of 30 kt. The vessel will also have an endurance of 120 days and require a crew of between 4,000-5,000 sailors.

The carrier will be able to carry between 80-90 combat aircraft of various kinds. Jane’s revealed that “the model features a split air wing comprising navalised T-50 PAKFAs and MiG-29Ks, as well as jet-powered naval early warning aircraft, and Ka-27 naval helicopters.”

A mockup of the carrier built by KRSC will be unveiled at the International Maritime Defense Show 2015, Polyakov said. That show will be held July 1-5 in St. Petersburg.

In addition, the carrier mockup KRSC built has four launching positions. Two of the launching positions are of the ski-ramp variant, while the other two are electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS), which the U.S. Navy itself just tested last week. As the U.S. Navy explained in a press release announcing the test, EMALS offer a number of advantages over the traditional steam-based launch systems.

“Using electromagnetic technology, the system delivers substantial improvements in system maintenance, increased reliability and efficiency, higher-launch energy capacity, and more accurate end-speed control, with a smooth acceleration at both high and low speeds. By allowing linear acceleration over time, electromagnetic catapults also place less stress on the aircraft.”

One of the major shortcomings of the vessel, as currently designed, is that it will be powered by a conventional power plant, rather than a nuclear one. This could be later changed, per the customer’s wishes, Polyakov said.

In the Jane’s interview, Polyakov also detailed some of envisioned missions of the proposed heavy aircraft carrier: "The Project 23000E multipurpose aircraft carrier is designed to conduct operations in remote and oceanic areas, engage land-based and sea-borne enemy targets, ensure the operational stability of naval forces, protect landing troops, and provide the anti-aircraft defense."

Reports that Russia was planning a new aircraft carrier first emerged in local media back in February. Those reports were confirmed by Russia’s naval chief the following month. "The Navy will have an aircraft carrier. The research companies are working on it, and strictly in compliance with the requirements from the Chief Commander," Viktor Chirkov, Russia’s top naval officer, said at the time.

Russia currently operates one carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, which was launched by the Soviet Union back in 1985. This should make it easier for Russia to construct a new aircraft carrier than a country like China, which has less experience with naval aviation than Moscow.

That being said, the proposed new carrier will be exponentially more complicated to build than Russian and Soviet carriers of the past. As such, it is extremely likely that the proposed Shtorm carrier will never come to fruition, especially given Russia’s mounting fiscal difficulties. As Jim Holmes wisely counseled, “Let’s not make too much of this.”

PLAN Naval Aviation Training Facility

The People's Republic of China is in the process of jump starting a complete carrier aviation industry and capability for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and doing it in relative short order. Nations like the United States, which commissioned it's first aircraft carrier, CV-1, USS Langley in 1922, have been operating carriers and establishing their doctrine through war and peace over the last 91+ years. China is attempting to pull it together in less than two decades.
INTRODUCTION
This development has occurred over the last 10+ years as the PRC purchased, transported to Dalian Shipyards, and then completely refurbished and refit the former Russian Carrier, Varyag, into their own, modern short-take off but barrier arrested (STOBAR) carrier, CV-16, the Lianoning. The Chinese had studied numerous carrier designs before this, including the older Austalian Carrier, HMAS Melbourne, and two of the older Russian Kiev class carriers which they had purchased to scrap and/or create theme parks out of them.
Towards the end of the construction/refit of the Liaoning, the PRC created an entire mockup of the carrier, from the hanger deck up, and set it atop a large research building on Lake Huangjia near Wuhan. This facility has continued to be developed and is now called the Wuhan Naval Research Institute. Deck handling, logistical considerations, armament and weapons handling, and hanger placement and movement of aircraft can all be researched and trained upon at this facility, which will be the object of a seperate article.
Shortly therafter, the PLAN announced and then displayed and flew the prototype of a new carrier strike fighter, the J-15, which is an indegenous, modernized version of the Russian SU-33 aircraft. This aircraft, in conjunction with the trials and commissioning of the Liaomning has now started Low Rate Initial Productrion (LRIP).
But simply having a carrier and having some fighters does not equate to carrier aviation. The individuals flying and maintaining the aircratf must also be developed, significantly trained, and steeped in carrier aviation doctrine, policy, and procedure. This is not an immediate process. It takes many years, and takes significant investment.
The PRC, and the PLAN in particular are in the process of making that investment.
After the commissioning of the Chinese carrier, the Liaoning, within a few months she departed the Dalian shipyards which gave her birth, and sailed to a new naval base that had been constructed for her near Qingdao on the East China Sea. This is her new home port, or home base, which was constructed at significant cost for the carrier and her escorts. This is a significant facility and will also be the object of another seperate article.
THE NEW NAVAL AVIATION TRAINING FACILITY
Throughout this later period, a new aviation facility and air base was being constructed on the shore of the Bohai Sea across from Dalian and well north of Tianjin. This base is a dedicated naval aviation training facility for the airwing personnel who will operate and maintain aircraft off of the Liaoning, and off of future carriers as well.
Here are the location of the four facilites discussed. The new Naval Aviation Training Facility, the Dalian Shipyards, the new Naval Base near Qingdao which is the home port of the new Chinese Carrier, and the Wuhan Naval Research Institute:

If we focus on the new Naval Aviation Training Facility itself, we find a large naval air base, still under construction, with numerous major features:

These features include all of the following:
1. A Simulated Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck:

This has been laid out on a portion of the runway for the naval strike fighters, jet aircraft trainers, and helicopters to practice landing on. A close look at the "deck" indicates regular use from ongoing practice/training.

2. An existing Ski-Jump Ramp:
 

This ramp is an exact replica of the STOBAR ramp on the Liaoning and is being used to train pilots to take off ith the assistance of the ramp.

3. A New Build Ski-Jump Ramp:
 

This is a second ski-ramp for even more pilots to train off of. This indicates an increase in the tempo of the training/practise that will be going on at the base, training future carrier pilots for the PLAN carrier(s).

4. Twenty-four Shelters for Naval Strike Aircraft:
 

These shelters are for the safe keeping and protection of the J-15 strike aircraft that will be used at the facility to train PLAN aircraft carrier pilots. It is also a good indication regarding the airwing that will be located on the PLAN carrier, that it will most probably number twenty-four J-15 strike aircraft.

5. Three Large Hangers for aircraft and helicopters:
 

These hangers are for the safe keeping and protection of the training aircraft that will be used to initially train PLAN aircraft carrier pilots, and for the KA-31, KA-28, and other helicopters that pilots will need to be trained on to fly off of the Carrier. These helicopters are for AEW (Ka-31), ASW (Ka-28) and SAR (KA-25 and Z-9) purposes.
6. Administrative, Command and Control, Training, Maintenance and Recreation:
 

 

Significant infrastructure is being developed at this base. Buildings for administration, for command and control of the base, for training of pilots in class rooms, for maintenance of the aircraft, and for recreation can be seen already built, with new structures being constructed. At other section on the base, what appears to be signifcant housing units for personnel stationed at the base have been constructed.

SUMMARY

Clearly the PRC and the PLAN are investing large sums of money, facilities, personnel and equipment to this significant and strategically important endeavor.

As they must.

It is a daunting task which is not cheap and will take years to master, and then continue for many decades into the future. But clearly the People's Republic of China, through the People's Liberation Army Navy is intent on mastering it and has embarked on doing so. 

Source: sinodefenceforum