Currently, the russian Navy has only one aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, which is primarily known for being perpetually under repair. Recent reports even suggest that russia may have sent part of the crew from this carrier to the battlefield in Ukraine, enough to form several battalions. However, as of today, there is no evidence that the entire crew has been discharged to shore at once.
At the same time, considering the eternal repair of their cruiser, russian propaganda media in 2021 claimed the development of several aircraft carrier projects. Among these, the so-called russian Ministry of Defense is considering three options—two with high chances of implementation and one that is being studied but is not considered a priority.
Read more: Comparison of Admiral Kuznetsov and China's Liaoning Aircraft Carriers Leaves russians Disappointed
At that time, the enemy spoke about the high chances of building a new aircraft carrier, the price of which would reach half a trillion rubles, and the carrier-based fighter for it could be developed based on the Su-57, a "fifth" (in reality, 4++) generation aircraft. The need for new aircraft carriers and the feasibility of their construction were to be assessed within the framework of the state armament program for 2024-2033.
Earlier this month, Oleg Savchenko, the general director of the Krylov State Research Center, announced the development of another concept project for an aircraft carrier for the russian Navy. "Two years ago, we completed the conceptual design of such a ship. It is called NACS—a Maritime Aircraft Carrier System," he stated.
Along with this news, russian propaganda media simultaneously published an interview with test pilot Roman Taskaev, who stated that their fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft must have sufficient flight range and also a good radar system.
He admitted that russia is significantly behind the United States in terms of carrier-based fighters and mentioned Yak-38 the Soviet light carrier-based attack aircraft. Taskaev says that russia currently has the engineering and design capabilities to develop carrier-based aircraft, which are necessary due to the country's extensive maritime borders.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that one of the four reconnaissance An-30 aircraft currently in russia appeared over Syria.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: Involving Claims of 400 Vessels and 90,000 personnel, russia Exaggerates its Strength
