Will Russia have aircraft carriers?

Military Thought, March-April, 2003 by V.V. Patrushev

Coordination is one of the most important factors of success in any operation conducted by the Armed Forces or some or other service. Lack of coordination between forces and assets participating in an operation will lead to the collapse of its plan and failure to achieve its objectives. The same is in store for results of disconnected and uncoordinated activities by agencies participating in army and naval reforms. As is to be regretted, certain echelons of the defense-industrial complex (DIC) participating in the development, validation and implementation of the AF weapon program occasionally do things in a manner suggesting that they are not aware of what "coordination" and "agreeing" of disputed issues are all about.

The Naval Doctrine of the Russian Federation for the Period till 2020 (approved by July 27, 2001 Decree of President of the Russian Federation), which spells out the state policy in the area of naval activities (the national naval policy), declares (Part II) as one of its goals "realization and protection of the Russian Federation's interests in the World Ocean and the strengthening of the Russian Federation's positions among the leading naval powers." It also proclaims as one of the principles "the possession of the necessary naval potential and its effective utilization in case of necessity for supporting by force the State's naval activities."

The main goals and priorities of the Russian Federation's naval activities are set out in the Foundations of the Russian Federation Policy in the Area of Naval Activities for the Period till 2010, approved by Decree of the RF President of March 4, 2000. One of its chapters called "Priority Directions in the Russian Federation Policy in the Area of Naval Activities and Measures for their Implementation" among other things envisages (Art. 12) the building of aircraft carriers armed with attack precision missile and antisubmarine weapons, defensive weapons, and efficient specialized aircraft systems. But whether these will actually appear in a future Russian navy depends on certain circumstances and chances for positive solution of a number of substantial problems, including not only technical-economic and shipbuilding ones. Of no less, if not of greater, importance is organizing coordination between agencies participating in the settlement of disputed situations.

For the sake of comparison let us consider (1) this question: What is the present state and the planned future of the aircraft-carrying fleet of the leading naval States?

The U.S.A. is completing CVN-76 Ronald Reagan, the ninth in a series of atomic aircraft carriers of the Nimitz class, designed to replace U.S.S. Constellation. Thus the U.S. Navy preserves 12 powerful multipurpose aircraft carriers. Within the next 20 years, the U.S. plans to make a transition to the next generation of aircraft carriers, CVNX, which is to be achieved on the basis of stage-by-stage development of ship designs, weapons, and technology for three subsequent vessels. The architectonics of the first one (CVN-77) envisages changes in the superstructure and the combat systems, and the next two (CVNX-1 and CVNX-2) will have new and better atomic power plants, catapults, arresting wire, and other weapon systems and equipment.

The U.K. Navy has three light aircraft carriers of the Invincible class, each displacing 20,000 tons. Two bigger aircraft carriers displacing 50,000 tons are to be built between 2012 and 2015 under the SDR program. The plans are to fit both with the embarked variety of the "light" JSF (F-35) plane.

France is considering a possibility of building its second aircraft carrier before 2015 (after the final streamlining of the Charles de Gaulle which already cost the Treasury 12 billion dollars). There are three options under study: an independent project for a carrier with the classical (non-nuclear) power plant; a new nuclear-powered carrier of the Charles de Gaulle class with some modernization (certain weapons and equipment); a new carrier to be built jointly with Britain. It is a matter of principle for France that the new vessel designed for about 50 embarked planes might carry its multi functional catapult-launched Rafalle tighter.

Italy is planning to commission, in 2007, the Luigi Enaudi, a light carrier of a new type, its second after the Giuseppe Garibaldi, which joined the Navy in 1985. The ship has so-called hybrid architecture, weapons and equipment, which assure combat employment and technical operation of the embarked aircraft, while enabling the vessel to perform as an amphibious warfare ship. Indicatively, Italy, though being in itself an "aircraft carrier" of sorts for the Adriatic, the Ionic and the Tyrrhenian, persists in promoting its naval carrier program.

Spain, while retaining one outmoded aircraft career, the Principe d'Asturia, is not planning for a new career in the short term on account of cuts in its military budget.

India is working to fulfill its long-standing wish and obtain a modern aircraft carrier. It has reached the final stage in negotiations on buying Russia's aircraft-carrying cruiser, the Admiral Gorshkov, and plans its subsequent modernization in order to adapt it to MiG-29k planes.