Russia's naval aviation in crisis: Battleships burning, planes grounded

Russia's only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, has not left port for years. The repairs that started in the previous decade have turned into a series of disasters: the ship has caught fire twice, and the only dry dock capable of accommodating such a large vessel (Kuznetsov is 1,004 feet long) was seriously damaged in an accident.

All this has caused years of delays, and the condition of Russia’s only aircraft carrier became so poor that scrapping the vessel was considered.

However, the opinion prevailed that Admiral Kuznetsov—as a symbol of the Russian navy—must be rebuilt and returned to service—the current schedule plans for the ship to return to duty by the end of 2024.

Even if Admiral Kuznetsov finally leaves the repair shipyard, the Russians will face a new, serious problem: its air group does not exist. Although they still retain some naval aircraft, they have annihilated their naval aviation—built over the years—in recent years.

Russian naval aviation is based on two types of aircraft: Su-33 and MiG-29K/KUB. Despite their similar appearance, these aircraft differ significantly from their land-based counterparts. Due to the specificity of landing on an aircraft carrier, they must have stronger landing gear and a retractable hook for the landing aircraft to catch on arresting wires—cables stretched across the flight deck.

This solution shortens the landing run from several hundred to a few dozen feet. Although the carrier facilitates pilots' landings by positioning into the wind and accelerating to significant speeds, in practice, the crew and the aircraft must withstand deceleration from over 124 mph within about 2 seconds. This necessitates structural changes for carrier-based aircraft.

It is unclear how many operational naval aircraft Russian aviation currently has. At the beginning of last year, it was only 17 Su-33s and 22 MiG-29K/KUBs (and no more than 10 Su-25 UTG attack aircraft).

It can be assumed that these numbers are decreasing over time—new naval aircraft are not being built, and the operation of existing ones means that the number of operational machines can only decrease.

There is also a personnel issue, as Russian pilots have not landed on an aircraft carrier for seven years. Back in Soviet times in Crimea, at the Saki Air Base in 1982, a special aviation training range called NITKA was launched. One of its elements was a huge platform built into the airport tarmac, mounted on actuators.

These actuators allowed the ground runway to move, simulating the movements of an aircraft carrier deck caused by waves in controlled conditions. A launch ramp was also built on land, equivalent to the bow section of the flight deck. Thanks to this, Soviet and later Russian pilots could practice takeoffs and landings from an aircraft carrier on land.

This capability ended with the Russian attack on Ukraine. The Saki Air Base became a target of Ukrainian attacks, and the NITKA training range—even if its mechanisms remain functional—is not suitable for safe use.

As a result, Russian naval pilots have not had the opportunity to maintain the habits and skills related to aircraft carrier operations since 2021 (the last official training information dates back to that time).

A recently announced desperate attempt to restore former capabilities is the idea to return to a project from the '80s and build a new vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft in Russia, based on the Yak-141 project.

In 2019, the Russians reported training for the 100th Naval Fighter Aviation Regiment, which grouped MiG-29K/KUB aircraft. Analysts noted at the time that Russian statements focused on training operations in Arctic conditions, completely omitting the aircraft carrier.

The fate of the naval aviation stationed far north at the Severomorsk-3 base quickly became clear. Both the 100th and 279th Naval Fighter Aviation Regiments (with Su-33 aircraft) began serving the Northern Fleet as land-based units designated to protect the Northern Sea Route. In practice—although they use naval versions of aircraft—they have ceased to count as naval aviation.

Nonetheless, according to Ukrainian sources, the Russians are preparing for Admiral Kuznetsov's return to service. This means a significant challenge, as an experienced crew of at least 1,500 sailors is necessary to operate such a large vessel. The Russians will have to recruit, rebuild, and train them, which—combined with the need to rebuild naval aviation—will take additional years.