The Russian Navy's Admiral Kuznetsov air wing suffered its second loss in less than a month when a Sukhoi Su-33 'Flanker' combat aircraft crashed into the sea following a landing mishap, the Kremlin confirmed on 5 December.
The multirole fleet defence fighter crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Syria after one of the ship's arrestor cables snapped, state media quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying. The accident happened just days after a MiG-29KR 'Fulcrum' was forced to ditch into the sea on 14 November after a problem with Admiral Kuznetsov's arrestor cable had prevented it from landing before the pilot ran out of fuel. On both occasions, the pilots were rescued.
With these losses the carrier's fixed-wing combat force of at least five Su-33s and four MiG-29Ks has been depleted by about 20%, just weeks into its much vaunted debut operational deployment.
Many of the fast jets that were embarked on the Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov have been flown to the main Russian air base in Syria, Airbus Defence and Space satellite imagery obtained by IHS Jane's shows.
The imagery shows eight Russian Federation Navy Su-33 and one MiG-29KR jets alongside various Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) aircraft at Humaymim Air Base in Latakia province on 20 November.
Kuznetsov can carry around 20 fast jets and is known to have embarked at least eight Su-33s for its current deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean, and at least four of the new MiG-29KR multirole fighters for the first time. One of the new jets crashed on 14 November, an incident that a Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement attributed to an unspecified "equipment fault during an approach for deck landing".
As reported by Combat Aircraft a Russian Navy Mig-29KUBR embarked aboard Adm. Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has crashed on Nov. 13.
The aircraft is one of the four naval Fulcrums operated by the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment.
According to our sources, the incident occurred around 14.30Z and involved a two-seater Fulcrum in a formation of three Mig-29s operating from the carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Syria: whilst one of the remaining aircraft recovered aboard the Kuznetsov the third one diverted for unknown reasons to Syria.
Footage allegedly showing Mig-29s in the skies over Aleppo had happered earlier on the same day.
The Ka-52K Katran attack helicopters will soon be deployed aboard the Russian aircraft cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, in what will allow the warship to have characteristics similar to those of the Mistral assault ships France had originally promised to build for Russia, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
The deployment of 30 Ka-52K Katran attack helicopters on board the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov will make it possible to significantly improve its characteristics, which are expected to be tantamount to those of the Mistral assault ships, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported.
It quoted former Russian Defense Ministry spokesman as saying that the KA-52K's deployment will enable the Admiral Kuznetsov to perform a spate of coastal missions, something that is typically performed by Mistral amphibious ships.
The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is the biggest ship in the Russian navy and the most visible symbol of the Kremlin’s military power. This October, she will travel to the Mediterranean and carry out air strikes in Syria, according to a report from the Moscow-based Tass news agency.
There is a general rule for news about Russian warships. Like most things in life — don’t believe it until you see it. The first problem is that the Tass report, which reverberated throughout the Russian and Western press, relied on a single anonymous “military-diplomatic source.”
Nor is this the first time rumors have spread about the Admiral Kuznetsov going to war in Syria. The Russian navy denied a 2015 report which claimed as much.
But this is not to say you should totally disbelieve it, either. Recent activity surrounding the Admiral Kuznetsov may indicate an upcoming combat deployment.
Starting next year, Russia’s only aircraft carrier will start a modernization maintenance period to upgrade its arresting gear and launching systems, according to a report this week from the Russian TASS news wire.
The 55,000-ton Admiral Kuznetsov will enter the two to three-year upgrade availability at an unknown Russian yard sometime next year to undergo upgrades to allow the carrier to improve launching and recovering aircraft, the source told TASS.
“The works on the vessel will begin after she returns from a long-distance voyage in the Mediterranean in the first quarter of 2017 and will last for two-three years,” the source said.
“The modernization will focus on the aircraft carrier’s flight deck, including replacement of the deck covering, tailhooks, aircraft arresting gear and other elements of the take-off system.”
A debate within the Chinese military as to the configuration of future aircraft carriers has come down on the side of building replicas of the Kuznetsov-class carrier Liaoning currently in People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) service. This option has been chosen over competing and more advanced designs, according to Chinese Ministry of National Defence spokesman Yang Yujun, who announced the decision on 31 December. Yang said the carrier was being designed entirely using "domestic technology" and would draw on "experiences learned" from operating the PLAN's first aircraft carrier.
