Russia will start modernizing its sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov before July. The ageing warship will undergo a massive refit that will modernize her problematic and unreliable propulsion system along with other upgrades. The exact plan will be determined over the next 6 months.
“All works onboard the ship must be finished by 2020.”
During the modernization process, the ship will have four of its eight boilers replaced while the remaining four will be repaired. The ageing Soviet-era vessel has been plagued with reliability issues.
The rest of the carrier’s systems will also be modernized.
“The ship will be equipped with modern systems of electronic warfare, communication, intelligence, navigation and combat control,” the source told TASS.” Aside from this, new control systems for safe carrier-based aircraft landing will be installed. The composite air wing personnel will remain unchanged.”
The aircraft carrier’s flight deck will undergo major modernization including replacement of the deck covering, tail hooks, aircraft arresting gear, and other aspects of the take-off system.
The upgrade is expected to extend the ship’s service life by 25 years. Total modernization costs for the Admiral Kuznetsov are currently estimated at over $340 million.
The U.S. Navy operates 19 ships that could be called aircraft carriers, but only considers 10 to be actual carriers. Soon an 11th carrier will be activated. The new carrier is the next generation Gerald Ford carrier.
SOURCES- National Interest, TASS, The Diplomat, Wikipedia
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