Why Russia is scrapping its only aircraft carrier

Russia is scrapping its one and only aircraft carrier

Is it a sign of the times, showing a shift in naval warfare, or is Russia just too broke

to fix its ship? The ship getting shanked is the 1,000-foot-long Admiral Kuznetsov

It was launched in 1985, and unlike most modern carriers that use catapult systems to launch

planes, the Kuznetsov employed a ski jump ramp. That matters because it meant heavier planes

could not launch off its deck, so no airborne early warning and control system or AWACS aircraft

often called the eyes in the sky of any air wing. And the jets that could be launched had to limit

their fuel and weapons loads. The Kuznetsov carried a crew of about 2,600 sailors, but it

could only hold 26 fixed-wing jets and 24 helicopters. By contrast, a typical air wing

on an American Nimitz-class carrier includes more than 70 combat aircraft, including jets

AWACS, and transport craft. So what's the deal? Why are the Russians scrapping the Kuznetsov

The Kuznetsov has been a problem child since the 80s. Aside from the limitations of its ski jump

ramp, the ship ran on a low-quality heavy fuel called Mizzut, which meant it constantly needed

to be refueled and was prone to mechanical mishaps, like in 2016 when the Kuznetsov was

deployed to Syria during that country's civil war. Dark plumes of smoke were seen billowing out

the universal sign that something isn't right with the engine. During that deployment

the carrier also lost a pair of planes and eventually its air wing was moved altogether to a land airfield Okay so admittedly the Kuznetsov was a major dud It was under repair for more than half of its 33 service life and even then

it could not catch a break. In 2018, it was in a floating dry dock, but the dry dock sank

and one of its cranes crashed onto the carrier's deck. In 2019, some welders accidentally set a

pile of oil-soaked rags on fire, that incident caused almost a billion dollars in damage

Another fire broke out in 2022, but it was not as big. In the last 10 years, Russia spent more than

a billion dollars to fix the ship. But once the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine

repairing the Kuznetsov any further wasn't really an option. Russia cannot get many of the parts to

fix it because of sanctions, and there's just not enough in Putin's pocketbook to go around

So why does it matter that the Russians are scrapping their one and only aircraft carrier

Even though it's been out of the fight for years, losing the Kuznetsov is a huge psychological blow

to Russia and its image as a naval superpower. Since their inception, aircraft carriers have

represented the pinnacle of a country's power projection. But is that still the case

One of the former commanders of Russia's Pacific fleet is trying to downplay the loss

saying carriers are a thing of the past. If that were true, India and China would not be working

feverishly to build their own carrier fleets. Oh, and fun fact, India and China both own Soviet-built

aircraft carriers, which they bought from Russia and are actually the exact same type as the Kustatsov

although they have been successfully updated over the year. For more reporting like this, download the Straight Arrow News app today