The process of training pilots for the MiG-29K and Su-33 aircraft types, has commenced, russian state-affiliated media report. In the future, these trainees will have to pilot their jets from the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov, the only aircraft carrier in the russian Navy.
The carrier itself, however, has been under repair for seven years, and its release date remains uncertain. During this period, the russian military has lost many of its experienced pilots who could perform take-off and landing from the deck of the ship. Many of them have simply retired, thus giving rise to serious staff problems and the need to train new people.
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Despite having the NITKA training complex in occupied Saky, Crimea, this facility is inadequate for comprehensive training as it cannot replicate the ship's movement and other real-life conditions.
Currently, the russian fleet's carrier-based aircraft are organized into two Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiments: the 279th equipped with Su-33 fighters and the 100th equipped with MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters. As of early 2023, russia had 17 Su-33s and 22 MiG-29Ks.
Interestingly, russia has been mostly using these carrier-based aircraft for land-based missions, such as covering the "Northern Sea Route" from airfields in the Far North.
At the end of 2023, russia decommissioned the MiG-29K and Su-33 aircraft from Admiral Kuznetsov to form a separate mixed air corps for the Northern Fleet. This action alone unambiguously suggests the real Admiral Kuznetsov's condition, which is supposed to be completed by 2024.
But the nuance is that taking off from land, even for deck-based aircraft, is much easier than from a ship.
For example, the reports say the existing pilots for the Su-33 and MiG-29K will need an additional year of training to develop skills of take-off and landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. On top of that, they need honing skills for accurate approaches and landings to ensure the aircraft's tailhook catches the arresting cables.
Moreover, it turns out that naval aviation pilots are prone to specific "professional" diseases affecting their back and eyes due to the sharp braking during carrier landings, which takes a toll on their back and head.
All in all, while the russians are preparing pilots, they are not necessarily ready to finally release the Admiral Kuznetsov from its prolonged repair. Quite the opposite, russian media candidly acknowledge that "it's good that the issue of pilot training was taken up while the ship is still being repaired at the factory."
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