home Business The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" returned to the base from Syria. Is the march of Russian ships to Syria a show of force or something more? The route of the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov

The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" returned to the base from Syria. Is the march of Russian ships to Syria a show of force or something more? The route of the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov

Alexander Gelovani

The history of the campaign "Admiral Kuznetsov" to the coast of Syria in the media and social networks became a thriller.

People who are very far from the navy and the military topic in general, with an enthusiasm worthy of a better application, argued about whether an aircraft carrier should smoke and what kind of smoke, how many planes and helicopters fit on board and in its holds, whether it needs refueling, and so on. Let's leave the social media freaks alone. It is much more interesting to answer the question - what is the Admiral Kuznetsov doing off the coast of Syria? Why is he there? I'm afraid that a simple answer - in order to fight, is not enough.

First, let's figure out what "Admiral of the Fleet" is Soviet Union Kuznetsov", this is the full name of the aircraft-carrying cruiser.

The decision to build their own aircraft carrier was made by the Soviet leadership on March 3, 1981. Over the years of its existence, the first and only Soviet aircraft-carrying cruiser changed its name several times. During the design period, the name of the cruiser sounded like "Soviet Union". The aircraft-carrying cruiser was designed in Leningrad by the Nevsky Design Bureau under the leadership of Yu.D. Sergeyev. When laying it, it was given the name of the capital of the then Soviet Latvia "Riga".

Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov"

The construction of the cruiser was completed on the Black Sea shipyard in the City of Nikolaev in December 1987. Then the cruiser was called "Leonid Brezhnev".

Later, during the tests, the cruiser bore the name of the capital of Georgia - "Tbilisi".

And finally, upon commissioning, the cruiser was named after Admiral of the Fleet Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, who headed the USSR Navy during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period. In 1993, the first serial bombers began to arrive for his air group, the same ones that struck targets in Syria yesterday.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Of course, the decision to have its own aircraft carrier was made by the Soviet leadership for a reason. In general, the clash between the USSR and the USA was often portrayed as a clash between the Behemoth and Leviathan, the land force with the sea. The USSR was perceived as the main continental power, and the United States as the main maritime one. That was enough deep meaning After all, the United States began its first steps as a world power with "gunboat diplomacy." This is the name given to the actions of the Americans during the suppression of the Boxer uprising in China, as well as the war with Spain over Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The USSR, as the legal successor of the Russian Empire, on the contrary, was perceived exclusively as a continental, that is, a land force. Thus, the decision of the Kremlin leadership to build the first Soviet aircraft carrier can be regarded as an attempt to play on the enemy's field.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" and TFR "Admiral Grigorovich" are involved in the operation in Syria for the first time

To play does not mean to win, because it is clear that one aircraft-carrying cruiser could in no way compete with the aircraft carriers of the United States, of which the United States had fifteen by that time. Yes, and the basis of the navy of the USSR in the period cold war were not surface ships at all, but nuclear submarines with nuclear weapons on board. However, the political significance this decision understandably. In addition, the USSR should have had a tool for its "gunboat diplomacy", if necessary, of course.

"Admiral Kuznetsov" was put into operation a few months before the end of the Soviet Union and the case did not present itself for its intended use. And today, a Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser has appeared in the eastern Mediterranean.

Many military experts were very skeptical about this throw of the Russian aircraft carrier group - after all, what's the point when the Russian Federation has a ground-based air force base on the territory of the same Syria, where you can place as many aircraft as you like. Meanwhile, there is a sense, only it is not military, but military-political.

First, let's return to the nature of the war in Syria. On the one hand, of course, this is the religious war of our time within the framework of Islamic civilization. In addition, this war is the end of the Sykes-Picot colonial system, which divided the Middle East into the mandated territories of Great Britain and France in the distant twenties. However, the war in Syria can rightfully be called a war for the "Soviet legacy". Moreover, this is the first war for this very inheritance, in which she decided to intervene the Russian Federation as the successor of the Soviet Union.

Indeed, almost all countries that were in the Soviet zone of influence, and among them were countries of Eastern Europe, and Afghanistan, and Iraq, and Libya, were, to put it mildly, reformatted without the direct participation of Moscow. Syria turned out to be the first country that the Kremlin decided to defend to the end with almost all the means at its disposal, including the military. Given this circumstance, it becomes understandable such a military-political step as the appearance of a Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean. In fact, this is another confirmation of the fact that for the Kremlin, Syria is the very red line beyond which it will not retreat.

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" and TFR "Admiral Grigorovich" are involved in the operation in Syria for the first time

Squadron in the eastern Mediterranean, consisting of two of the strongest surface ships Russian fleet- heavy missile cruiser"Pyotr Veliky" and the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov", with escort ships (large anti-submarine ships "Severomorsk" and "Vice-Admiral Kulakov" and three submarines), this is not just a military action, this is an application for the status of a country that can build your construct in international politics.

So the aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" is off the coast of Syria today, which is not so illogical as it seems to some military experts. On the cannons of Louis XIV was the inscription "The last argument of the kings." In Syria, and hence in today's world politics, these arguments have been spoken for a long time, and they speak quite loudly.

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Despite the fact that KAG SF as part of the TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov", TARKR "Peter the Great" and support vessels have not yetarrived at home base(s) (expected 08-09.02.2017 − link 1 , link 2 ), there is already enough information to summarize the results of the eighth long-range campaign (combat service) of our aircraft carrier and draw some conclusions.

01. Crossing route of KAG "Kuznetsova"Severomorsk-Gibraltar, 15-25.10.2016 (screenshot from the 2nd part of the "First Combat Exit" program "Military acceptance" TRK Zvezda)

1. Achievements

Indisputable positive results achieved as a result of almost four-month BS "Kuznetsov" (preliminarily − 117 day or 3,84 months), can be called seven:

1) contrary to all gloomy predictions (including those contained in the comments of some of the guests of my blog), the aircraft carrier came out anyway on a long-range military campaign and went out not with one BOD, as often happened before, but accompanied by a very impressive (and not only by our standards) outfit of guard ships (I hope that soon we will find out who covered the KAG from under the water) ; for the sake of this, shipbuilders (ship repairmen), naval sailors and deck pilots made truly titanic efforts deserving state awards;

2) as far as is known, the boiler-turbine power plant of an aircraft carrier is not unreasonable considered his "Achilles heel", worked without failures (at least without serious failures), which is the best evidence of a well-executed pre-trip repair (by the forces of 35 and 82 SRZ and their counterparties); at the Severomorsk-Gibraltar crossing (October 15-25, 2016, 2 890 miles) KAG was moving at an average speed 12,0 knots, i.e. the "flawed" "Kuznetsov" was not inferior to the atomic "Peter the Great" (22.10-01.11.2013 TARKR, being in a single voyage, covered the same distance in the same time); in the mediterranean the progress of the group slowed down significantly (25.10-08.11, 2 030 miles, 6,5 nodes), which was caused, among other things, the need to replenish stocks (one refueling with fuel and water takes about a day − link 3 , 36:35); average speed at the Severomorsk-Syria crossing ( 4 920 miles, 24 days) amounted to 8,5 node;

3) earlier "Admiral Kuznetsov" combined the duties of an air defense aircraft carrier (long-range air defense) and an anti-submarine helicopter carrier, starting from 11/08/2016 (from the date of the start of combat work along the coast), he It has full right be classified as multipurpose AB, and such a diverse air group has never been seen on board - heavy fighter-bombers (now that's it) Su-33, light MiG-29K (UB), attack helicopters Ka-52K, landing (transport-combat) Ka-29, AWACS Ka-31, anti-submarine Ka-27PL and search and rescue Ka-27PS;

4) the fact that the Su-33 will be able to work effectively against ground targets, came as a real surprise to the public(even for the author of the blog, who admitted the possibility of such a turn of events − ); the results of the combat work of the air group "Kuznetsov" for two months (59 days - 11/08/2016-01/06/2017), announced by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces V. Gerasimov, make an impression: 420 sorties ( 7,1 per day), of which - 117 at night ( 27,9 %), 1252 hit terrorist object ( 21,2 per day) (link 5 ) - most likely, things could not have done without SVP-24-33;

5) the involvement of military sailors in the operation to combat terrorist groups made it possible to as soon as possible release from militants to the economic capital of Syria, Aleppo" (V. Gerasimov, who is suspected of slyness and exaggeration the role of the Russian Navy in the Battle for Syria is possible only with a hangover) (link 5);

6) despite the flow of swear words (mainly from the British Isles), the campaign of our KAG is clearly demonstrated the world that Russia has combat-ready oceanfleet − not yet as numerous as we would like, but if necessary able to gather his forces into a fist and project them to any region of the planet;

7) there is confidence that after the ending BS of the KAG "Kuznetsov" the attitude towards the navy and maritime service in Russia will change in better side, but it will change qualitatively, and there will no longer be a need to build new aircraft carriers cause doubt, confusion and accusations in squandering people's money to "bomb the penguins" (from a replica one of my guests).

02. Crossing route of the KAG "Kuznetsova" from Gibraltar to Syria, 25.10-08.11.2016 (screenshot from the 3rd part of the "First Combat Exit" of the "Military Acceptance" program of the TRK Zvezda)

2. Big PR

Let me remind you that PR (from the English.PR − Public relations) is information purposefully disseminated by the media in order to draw attention to someone (something), and ultimately to form public opinion about someone (something) (wordingGoogleedited by the author of the blog).

A quote from my beloved (from an entry dated 03/05/2016 - one of the many "FOR the campaign"): "In conclusion, it is worth saying (once again) that the next combat service of "Admiral Kuznetsov" in the Mediterranean Sea gives a rare chance to the ocean component of the Russian navy show itself in all its glory and strength. I really hope that Command of the Navy and the leadership of the country don't miss this opportunity" )... And they didn't miss .

I will not remember such a grandiose PR of the Russian Navy in my entire life. On the flight deck, in the wheelhouse and In other areas of the aircraft carrier, there were almost more journalists and operators of the Russian media than the regular members of the ship's crew. GTRK Russia, 1st channel,RT, NTV, Ren-TV, TRK Zvezda, T24 - everyone considered it their duty (and, presumably, great journalistic luck) to be accredited at Kuznetsov during his historical campaign (I wouldn’t be surprised if the film crew of "Rain" also visited the board). Many reports were made and at least two documentaries came out from underpenlens "Military acceptance" and T (exno) 24.

If what was said in paragraph 7 of the previous section corresponds (will correspond) to reality, the country and its Navywe must thank for this, first of all, those purely civilian "paratroopers" with cameras and microphones who landed on the deck of "our only" throughout his combat service.

3. Envy of the Britons

The frenzied persecution of the Russian aircraft carrier by the British media ("rusty trough", "ship of shame") has, in my opinion, quite understandable background - envy. On the one hand, this is the envy of the subjects of the former empire, which will neverno more empire to another former empire that retained not only imperial ambitions, but real opportunities again (for the third time) put them into practice. On the other hand, this is the envy of the admiralsRoyal Navywho have not yet received from their military-industrial complexthe first large aircraft carrier in many years, but when Kuznetsov entered the English Channel (with two Su-33s ready to jump onforward launch positions) suddenly realized that their F-35Bs were nothing more than "heavenly whatnots" that had no chance in full-fledged (maneuverable) air combat with Russian fighters even the previous generation, not to mention those that will come to replace them, and that the NavyVelikoBritain will never be the Grand Fleet again.

4. The composition of the air group: revision

This revision of the composition of the Kuznetsov air group (which mainly affected its aircraft component) was intended to confirm the number of aircraft on board during combat service, and to identify (confirm) side numbers lost vehicles (MiG-29K 11/13/2016 and Su-33 12/03/2016). For this, video and photographic materials were carefully reviewed, made after 12/03/2016 - during visits to TAVKR by the Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces A. Ayyub (01/06/2017) and the commander of the Libyan Armed Forces H. Haftar (01/11/2017), as well as on board the aircraft carrier and in Severomorsk-3 during the flight of the air group to the coastal airfield (03.02.2017).

Video reports by the press service of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and the Arab branch RT dated 01/06/2017, made just before departure"Kuznetsov" to Russia, allow you to track his aircraft fleet up to the car. On the screenshots below you can see: in the hangar - Su-33 b / n 88 and b / n xx; at starting positions No. 1 and No. 2 - Su-33 b / n 84 and xx; in technical positions TP6-TP15 (from bow to stern) - Su-33 b / n xx, 85, xx, 78, 66; on TP19-TP22 - MiG-29K (UB) no. 53, 52, 49, 41; total 9 "Dry" and 4 MiGs (video 720 −link 7 , link 8 ) (numbers of technical positions - from Pavel Polikarpoff).

The absence of Su-33 w/n 67 and MiG-29K w/n 47 confirms their loss ( charly015 turned out to be right).

Helicopter component (compared to the previous record on this topic − ) was left unchanged for except for confirmation by a colleague milinfolive participation in the campaign of two Ka-52K (based on materials documentary film TV channel T24 −link 10 ). No new vehicles were identified, except for the Ka-27PL w / n 47 in Severomorsk-3, which, most likely, just flew by. As a result, with a high degree of probability it can be argued that in the period 10/15/2016-02/03/2017 the following machines were on board the Kuznetsov:

Su-33 - 62 , 66 , 67 (lost) 71 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 84 , 85 , 88 ;
MiG-29KUB − 52 , 53 ;
MiG-29K − 41 , 47 (lost) 49 ;
Ka-52K − 2 cars without side numbers;
Ka-27PS − 52 , 55 , 57 , 60 ; Ka-27PL − 32 , 45 ; Ka-29 − 23 , 75 ; Ka-31 - 90 .

Total in the air group : 10 Su-33, 2 /3 MiG-29 (KUB/K), 2 Ka-52K, 1 Ka-31, 2 Ka-29, 2 /4 Ka-27 (PL/PS), total 26 LA minus 2 = 24 LA. ■

Note 1 . Where did they come from on the way back?over 40 aircraft naval aviation used to strike at international terrorist groups" known only to I. Konashenkov (link 11 ), because even taking into account the three regular helicopters of "Peter the Great", only 27 of them are recruited.

Note 2 . In addition to combat sorties by carrier-based aircraft of the KAG SF, "750 sorties to perform taskssearch and rescue, air transport support, aerial reconnaissance and maintaining a favorable operational regime" (V. Gerasimov, reference 5). Let's add here the demonstration sorties of the Su-33 specifically for Syrian and Libyan distinguished guests.

03. Hangar "Kuznetsov" - Su-33 b / n 88 (in the foreground) and b / n xx, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from mod.gov.sy video)

04. Hangar "Kuznetsov" - Su-33 b / n 88 (in the foreground) and b / n xx, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from mod.gov.sy video)

05. Starting positions No. 1 and No. 2 - Su-33 w/n 84 (left) and w/n xx, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from arabic.RT video.com)

06. Technical positions TP6-TP15 - Su-33 no. 66 and 78, landing no. 84, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from arabic.RT video.com)

07. Technical positions TP6-TP15 - Su-33 no. 66, 78 and no xx, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from arabic.RT video.com)

08. Technical positions TP6-TP15 - Su-33 no. 66, 78, no xx, no 85, 06.01.com)

09. Technical positions TP6-TP15 - Su-33 b / n 78 and b / n xx, landing b / n 84, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from the video arabic.RT.com)

10. Technical positions TP6-TP15 - Su-33 w/n xx, w/n 85 and w/n xx, landing w/n 84, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from arabic.RT video.com)

11. Technical positions TP19-TP22 - MiGs no. 53, 52, 49 and 41, landing Su-33 no. 84, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from mod.gov.sy video)

12. Su-33 b / n 62 takes off from the TAVKR from the 3rd joint venture, heading to Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the video of the Ministry of Defense)

13. Su-33 b / n 62, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the video of the Ministry of Defense)

14. Su-33 no. 66 and 77, Severomorsk-3, 03.02.2017 (screenshot from the video of TRK Zvezda)

15. Su-33 b / n 71 on the aft lift TAVKR, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the video of the Ministry of Defense)

16. Su-33 b / n 71 is preparing for takeoff with TAVKR heading for Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from Ren-TV video)

17. Su-33 b / n 76, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (photo by the Ministry of Defense from facebook.com)

18. Su-33 No. 77 and 85, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the video of the Ministry of Defense)

19. Su-33 b / n 78, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the video of the Ministry of Defense)

20. Su-33 b / n 78, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (photo by the Ministry of Defense from facebook.com)

21. Su-33 b / n 84 on the deck of the TAVKR off the coast of Syria, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from the video arabic.RT.com)

22. Su-33 b / n 84, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (photo by the Ministry of Defense from facebook.com)

23. Su-33 No. 85 and 84, Severomorsk-3, 03.02.2017 (screenshot from the video of TRK Zvezda)

24. Su-33 b / n 88 in the Kuznetsov hangar off the coast of Syria, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from arabic.RT video.com)

25. Su-33 b / n 88 in the Kuznetsov hangar off the coast of Syria, 01/06/2016 (screenshot from mod.gov.sy video)

26. MiG-29K b / n 41, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (photo by the Ministry of Defense from facebook.com)

27. MiG-29K no. 49 takes off from TAVKR heading to Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from Ren-TV video)

28. MiG-29K b/n 49, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from TV Russia 24 video)

29. MiG-29KUB no. 52, MiG-29K no. 49 (nearer - no. 53, farther - no. 41), 01/06/2016 (screenshot from the video of TRK Zvezda)

30. All four MiG-29K(UB) (number 52, 53, 41, 49) before the flight to Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from Ren-TV video)

31. MiG-29KUB b/n 52, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from Ren-TV video)

32. MiG-29KUB b / n 53, Severomorsk-3, 02/03/2017 (screenshot from the NTV program "Today")

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The route of "Admiral Kuznetsov" was laid by Putin

The Russian Navy's aircraft carrier group led by the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, en route to the Mediterranean, entered the English Channel on Friday on its way to the Atlantic, BBC reports. A published long-range security video shows two fighter jets on the deck of an aircraft carrier, ready to take off.

The special piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that the aircraft carrier group of the Russian Navy follows the coast of Syria precisely through the English Channel. The route is clearly not a combat route, since in war conditions such large ships in the local narrowness would be instantly destroyed. Moreover, there is another route - bypassing the British Isles from the north - past Iceland, which is usually used by Russian ships. It was there that one could safely enter the expanses of the Atlantic without attracting much attention.

And, therefore, it was precisely in order to attract maximum attention that such an indicative route was chosen. The decision is undoubtedly not so much navigational as political. Moreover, for sure accepted on the very high level. Therefore, applause personally to Vladimir Putin in this case will obviously not be superfluous.

The artistry with which he squeezes the maximum possible out of any situation, turning it to maximum benefit Russia, cannot but cause justified admiration. Special thanks to the BBC television company, which did its best and showed the whole world the power of the Russian fleet with the help of helicopters.

Thus, the West has been given the opportunity to make sure in the most obvious way that Russia is far from being the cardboard scarecrow, as which some people continue to portray it in the old fashioned way. A very real powerful military force which, like it or not, will have to be reckoned with. Yes, Russia has only one ship of this class so far. But this is also a lot. Especially taking into account the fact that at present there is not a single aircraft carrier in the combat formation of the fleet of the same "mistress of the seas" of Great Britain, France has one elderly "Charles de Gaulle", and the rest of Europe does not even have this. There is, of course, the United States with its aircraft carrier armada. But today it is time for this country to think not so much about confrontation with Russia at sea, but about how to solve world problems together with it and to mutual benefit. For the time being, as they say in Odessa, trams run...

And as for the fact that our "Kuzya" smokes - so it's the "smoke of the fatherland".

And the "non-brothers" who especially sneer at that smoke ("HORRORS OF THE RUSSIAN FLEET. "ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV" WORKS ON AUTO TIRES!") are very vainly scorned.

We even have hedgehogs answer them:

“I just don’t know how to live now. Everything is so bad.

An aircraft carrier runs on tires. How to look people in the eye now? I'm going to lie down in the bushes alone. Not! I'll drop everything and go to Ukraine. They just say that a residence permit in Ukraine is given on condition to those who take a couple of kilos of paint with them - in order to paint "Ukraine" at least a little.

Yes, and the West may regret the jokes on "Admiral Kuznetsov"

The Russian naval aircraft carrier group of the Northern Fleet, led by the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, continues to move towards the Mediterranean Sea. In the comments under the video of the sea procession, which is rapidly spreading on the net, foreign users make fun of the strong puffs of smoke that the cruiser emits into the air. The Federal News Agency spoke with an expert about why such a reaction is philistine and why such "smoky" behavior of "Kuznetsov" is the norm.

The video shows how the power plant "Kuznetsov" strenuously releases smoke into the sky. The network immediately found wits who joked about environmental damage and about the fact that the aircraft carrier caught fire.

"There is wild laughter at NATO headquarters. To find and destroy the Russian aircraft carrier, the pilots of the alliance do not even need radars, since the smoke can be seen from 50 kilometers away. Easy prey,"- this is the approximate tone and level of comments of "experts". Which seem to be trying to hide behind the attacks on smoke screens their fear, inspired by the "Admiral Kuznetsov". He, like most Soviet warships, looks aggressive, impressive and many times more dangerous than American ones.

Let's start with the fact that this is a heavily armed cruiser. It carries 12 Granit anti-ship missiles with a range of 600 kilometers, 256 Kortik missiles, 192 Kinzhal missiles, 48,000 rounds for six-barreled cannons, and several dozen aircraft and helicopters as a nice bonus. The cruiser has four steam turbines, eight boilers the size of two floors and a whole bunch of diesel generators. It would be strange if, with all this, such a colossus did not release smoke in solid volumes.

"This is a diesel steamer, it smokes and smokes. What is it? For military equipment this is a common thing, no one has ever thought about environmental standards here. They have a completely different task. Well, the ship was created in the early 90s, it is clear that no one paid attention to such things. In addition, in the 90s, we ran out of money for the shipbuilding program. In the ship group next to it is "Peter the Great", from which smoke does not come out at all, and two modern destroyers, from which steam also does not come down. It is clear that if we can talk about analogues of "Admiral Kuznetsov" in the United States at all, then american cruisers atomic, they do not smoke",- comments military expert Dmitry Litovkin.

The heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" is the only vessel of this class in the Russian Navy.

It is clear that while Russia does not have another "Kuznetsov", and even newer. But in the future everything will be fixed. Now our fleet, at a minimum, needs experience in operating an aircraft carrier, and especially carrier-based aviation.

"Remember that the aircraft-carrying cruiser" Kuznetsov "would have been followed by the nuclear cruiser" Ulyanovsk ", which also would not smoke, but due to the difficult economic situation, it was dismantled on the slipway in the early 90s. But here is the next aircraft carrier" Storm ", which is planned to be laid down after 2020, will also be nuclear-powered and will not smoke.For the first time, the ship comes out with a full air wing and can be used for its intended purpose.There are modernized Su-33s that can use high-precision weapons, the latest MiG-29s that can sink the NATO fleet with anti-ship missiles. That's what's important in the maritime business, and not the philistine reaction, "- adds the FAN expert.

Now the cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" is heading to the coast of Syria to help in the anti-terrorist operation.

So it would be nice for the West to remember "The one who laughs last laughs best" ...

Yuri Selivanov,

The aircraft carrier strike group of the Northern Fleet, led by the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great (the flagship of the ship group), the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, has reached the coast of Norway. Already on February 9, the ships will return to the main base of the fleet - Severomorsk, having completed a many-month-long long-distance voyage to the coast of Syria. At home, on the shore, the crews are already waiting for the "roast pig" - a symbol of the successful completion of a combat mission.
The campaign of the Russian squadron made no less noise than the anti-terrorist operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the region itself. The overall effect of the presence in the region exceeded all expectations. The entire route following the ships was tirelessly monitored by NATO representatives. Indeed, for the first time since the Soviet era, Moscow has assembled a full-fledged aircraft carrier group capable of delivering massive air and missile strikes against sea and coastal targets. The shipborne aircraft carrier group of the Northern Fleet advanced to the coast of Syria on October 15.

The passage of an aircraft carrier, a heavy nuclear missile cruiser, as well as escort ships "Severomorsk", "Vice-Admiral Kulakov" and auxiliary vessels, as well as several submarines from North to South along the coast of Europe and further into the Mediterranean Sea, caused close attention of the region's navy. On the return route, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon for some reason called the Russian aircraft carrier returning from Syria a "ship of shame." What exactly the minister wanted to say with this phrase is not entirely clear, because all four months of combat service the Russian aircraft carrier group was not only followed, but also actively interfered with its work by dozens of NATO and US ships and aircraft.

Why? The answer is prosaic - they are afraid. That is why we were denied the opportunity to restock in Spain and Malta. Although this was agreed, probably, a few months before the group went on a hike. Again, why? Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences Vadim Kozyulin believes that main reason that the Russian Navy, during the operation in Syria, showed what was previously considered inaccessible to it. For example, a massive blow cruise missiles"Caliber" from the Caspian Sea on the targets of ISIS terrorists located 2.5 thousand kilometers from the missile launch site. And just before the exit of Russian ships to the coast of Syria Northern Fleet exponentially conducted exercises, during which the nuclear submarine of project 949 "Antey" armed with supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles "Granites" or, as they are called in the West, Shipwreck ("Shipwreck"), just as indicatively destroyed several ground targets on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

We call these missiles "aircraft carrier killers", since a hit by "Granite" is guaranteed to sink any enemy aircraft carrier. The range of the missile is over 700 km. It carries a half-ton warhead, which can be either conventional, high-explosive, or nuclear. By the way, on the cruisers "Peter the Great" and "Admiral Kuznetsov" there are 24 "Granites", and on the "Kuznetsov" - 12. Another 48 were on two submarines that accompanied the squadron of the "Antey" type, unsuccessful searches, which were actively engaged in by NATO in the Mediterranean, but could not be traced.
The fact that there are boats there was literally “trumpeted” in foreign specialized blogs, reporting on the sharply increased activity of P-8-A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft flying from the Sigonella base in Sicily. In the military sense, “not tracked”, “not taken for escort” means one thing - for at least three months, not only ships, but also numerous military bases of the alliance located in Italy, Turkey, Malta and Cyprus were in the sight of Russian ships. By the way, they store almost the entire nuclear potential of the United States in Europe.
And all this without taking into account the capabilities of the updated air wing of the Russian aircraft carrier, which now includes not only heavy Su-33 fighters, but also the latest Russian MiG-29K/KUBR. One of the features carrier-based fighters in that before the release of the ship, all of them were retrofitted with a specialized computing subsystem SVP-24, which allows the use of conventional unguided high-explosive blanks with the accuracy of guided weapons. The device developed by Gefest and T is just a few blocks installed directly in the on-board equipment of a combat aircraft. Based on the position of the aircraft in space, its coordinates and flight parameters, as well as data on the target, the SVP calculates the optimal trajectory for dropping the bomb. In this case, the maximum deviation from the target does not exceed several meters.
Su-24M front-line bombers, which have become the main workhorses of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, perfectly demonstrated to the NATO how the SVP works. The accuracy with which our vehicles hit targets was repeatedly demonstrated by the Ministry of Defense during briefings dedicated to the operation. But the Su-33 and MiG-29KR/KUB are not only capable of "throwing" unguided blanks. Depending on the combat mission, the aircraft can carry from one to two Kh-35 anti-ship missiles and from two to four bombs of the KAB-500 and KAB-1500 families with laser-television or GPS / GLONASS-corrected homing heads, which guarantees it a jewelry defeat of any maritime or coastal target.
The combat use of carrier-based aviation did not take place. The approach of our ships to the coast of Syria coincided with the peacekeeping initiative of the United States and Brussels on the introduction of a truce for the withdrawal of refugees from the war zones. Is it by chance? There is no answer to this question. But we can say that with the arrival of the Russian aircraft carrier, the grouping of our forces in the region acquired a second Khmeinim airbase. That is, we could redouble our efforts to destroy terrorist groups of anti-government forces, which categorically did not suit the administration of the resigned american president Barack Obama and European leaders. Be that as it may, the Admiral Kuznetsov is completing its military service with dignity. According to the commander of the Russian grouping of troops in Syria, Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, the pilots of the Russian naval aviation during the operation carried out 420 sorties, 117 were made at night. “Practically all flights took place in difficult hydrometeorological conditions,” he said. For our deckers, this is very big indicator raid. So, we did the main thing - we taught the pilots how to use the equipment, which means we can be sure that they will be able to use it in a combat situation.