Russian/Soviet Aircraft Carrier & Carrier Aviation Design & Evolution Volume 1 In 2016, there were five Russian/Soviet designed and built aircraft carriers in existence, three of which were in operational service; the Project 1143.5 Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Kuznetsov in Russian Federation naval service, the INS Vikramaditya (formerly the Project 1143.4 Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser Baku/Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Gorshkov) in Indian naval service and the incomplete former Soviet Project 1143.6 Varyag in service with the Peoples Liberation Army Navy of China as the Liaoning. The other two carriers, the Project 1143 Kiev and Minsk Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruisers had been decommissioned and formed museum exhibits in China. This two volume series sets out to detail the stable of Russian/Soviet designed and built significant aircraft carrying vessels and their integral shipborne aviation assets. While Volume 2 will focus on the stable of conventional take-off carriers in service and projected future vessels, this first volume, Volume 1, focusses predominantly on the operational design genesis of the major aircraft carrying vessels of the Soviet era, the Project 1123 Moskva Class Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopter carrying Cruisers and the Project 1143-1143.4 Kiev and Improved Kiev Class Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruisers. Space is allocated to early aviation carrying projects commencing with the Seaplane Carriers of World War 1 to aircraft carrier concepts of the 1930’s and 1940’s and the German Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier that fell into Soviet hands at the end of World War II in Europe. An overview of other helicopter carrying vessels of the Soviet and Russian Federation eras is provided, including the Project 1174 Ivan Rogov Class Amphibious Assault Ships and the unbuilt Project 11780 helicopter carrying Assault Ship design of the early 1980’s. The development of the Moskva Class, and subsequently the Kiev Class, was intrinsically linked with the development of ballistic and cruise missile submarines. These ships were in effect the first and second generation of Soviet aircraft varying vessels that, with the introduction of the fourth of the Kiev Class, extended into the third generation. The various elements of the ships, such as major defensive and offensive weapon systems are covered in detail as is the operational doctrine that led to such ships coming into being. A separate chapter deals with the various aviation assets that would make up the air groups of the Moskva and Kiev Class’s – helicopter and vertical/short take-off and landing fixed wing. All technical information regarding the warships, systems and weapons has been provided by the respective design houses, developers and builder/manufacturers, as has much of photograph and graphic material used throughout the volume, which is also supported by photograph and graphic material from third party sources such as the Defence and intelligence service Departments of various NATO nations.
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