Russia Set to Make Final Decision on New Heavyweight Aircraft Carrier Design - Putin Personally Examines Proposals

The Russian Navy is currently evaluating a number of designs for a new heavyweight aircraft carrier, which will replace the currently serving warship Admiral Kuznetsov by the early 2030s. The Kuznetsov was launched from the Black Sea Shipyards in today’s Ukraine in the final years of the Soviet Union, intended as the first of three 70,000 ton carriers of its class which would serve alongside the heavier 90,000 ton Ulyanovsk Class supercarriers, although ultimately the state's collapse left Russia with just a single carrier. A number of designs for a new carrier, including a less costly conventionally powered warship displacing 90,000 tons - the Lamantin - and a heavier 110,000 ton nuclear powered supercarrier under the SHTORM program, have been put forward. There appear to have been considerable divisions within the Russian military regarding the carrier program, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu questioning their value as heavily offensively oriented assets while others have stressed the importance of maintaining naval aviation - with expertise built up with great effort and expense during the Soviet era.

On a visit to Crimea, President Vladimir Putin examined design proposals for the new aircraft carrier which has led a number of analysts to conclude that the selection process is nearing its end. Whichever type of carrier is chosen, it is set to integrate an electromagnetic catapult system and next generation fighter jets - namely navalised variants of either the Su-35 or the Su-57. The Lamantin carrier model appears to deploy the less costly Su-35 fighter, while the SHTORM deploys the more advanced Su-57 - reflecting their designs as 'budget' and high end designs. Russia has not built any surface warships larger than a frigate since the Soviet collapse, although new work has been done to enlarge Crimean shipyards to allow them to construct heavier warships. Construction of two light carriers, comparable to the Mistral Class which Russia was previously set to jointly manufacture with France in the latter half of the 2010s, is reportedly set to begin at these shipyards in 2020 - with these ships potentially being equipped with vertical landing capable aircraft which are confirmed to also be under development. Ultimately the future of Russia’s carrier program, and how many ships the Navy intends to field including both heavy and light classes of carrier, remains highly uncertain.