Unrealistic Dream: Expert Explains Why Russia Will Not Become Aircraft Carrier Superpower
8- 8.04.2025, 15:29
- 6,252
Moscow is having major difficulties building ships.
In 2009, during the celebration of the annual Russian Navy Day, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky once again promised that six aircraft carrier battle groups would be added to the fleet. However, Moscow's plans were never destined to come true.
This was reported by military expert at the Kazimierz Pułaski Foundation in Warsaw and former Pentagon consultant Reuben F. Johnson in his column for 19FortyFive.
Russia has still not been able to build new aircraft carriers
Johnson noted that the construction of the ships was supposed to begin in 2012. According to Russia's plans, three aircraft carrier battle groups will be assigned to the Northern Fleet and three to the Pacific Fleet. These will be full-fledged task forces, which will allegedly include not only the aircraft carriers themselves, but also all the other ships needed to support them.
As is known, the construction of these six aircraft carriers never began. The Soviet-era aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov spent most of its life in repairs and is still in service.
Johnson believes that Admiral Kuznetsov may never go to sea due to corruption within the Russian Federation.
“There are strong suspicions that corruption is a major factor in the current problems surrounding the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, and this aspect is increasingly being discussed by experts and the media,” said an article in the Bulgarian Military published in 2024.
After more than a decade of protracted repairs and repeated accidents, many in Russia and beyond say that the poor condition of the ship is due to more than just technical difficulties and outdated technology. Johnson shared that internal investigations and sources, including former Russian Navy officer Vyacheslav Konovalov, claimed that some elements of the Admiral Kuznetsov upgrade, which cost millions, were never implemented, and the funds “went into someone's pockets.”
It's not just about money
Even under the most favorable economic circumstances, Russia does not have the capacity to build six aircraft carriers, the expert assured. Such huge expenses would greatly affect the funding of other branches of the Russian armed forces.
Johnson predicted that in such a case, the production lines of almost all other weapons systems in Russia would stop. He emphasized that Kremlin officials continue to steal money for defense projects, which is why there would not be enough funds to build aircraft carriers.
Johnson recalled that Russia is not capable of handling even easier tasks, including building new ships to replace worn-out and outdated small vessels. According to him, the Russian shipbuilding industry is not capable of producing warships in the quantity or with the level of quality required by the naval customer.
In addition, the expert drew attention to the fact that most of the Soviet shipbuilding potential has been part of Ukraine since 1991 and no longer belongs to Moscow. Among them are the Nikolaev shipyards, where all aircraft carriers ever developed in the USSR were built.
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