Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov [File photo]

Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov [File photo]

Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, originally named Riga, renamed Leonid Brezhnev then Tbilisi) is an aircraft cruiser (heavy aircraft carrying missile cruiser (TARKR or TAVKR) in Russian classification) serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy.

While designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov' class implies a mission different from that of either the United States Navy's carriers or those of the Royal Navy. The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholyy avianesushchiy raketnyy kreyser (TAKR or TARKR) - "heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser" - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and naval missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian Navy.

The Admiral Kuznetsov's main fixed-wing aircraft is the multi-role Sukhoi Su-33. It can perform air superiority, fleet defence, and air support missions and can also be used for reconnaissance and searching for naval mines. It is augmented by the twin seat Su-33UB, which is also used for pilot training along with the Su-25UTG. The carrier also carries the Kamov Ka-27 and Kamov Ka-27S helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and small transport.

For take-off of the fixed wing aircraft, the Admiral Kuznetsov uses a ski-jump at the end of her deck. On take-off aircraft accelerate toward and up the ski-jump using their afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the deck at a higher angle and elevation than on an aircraft carrier with a flat deck and catapults. The ski-jump take-off is less demanding on the pilot, since the acceleration is lower, but results in a clearance speed of only 120–140 km/h (75-85 mph) requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds.

The cruiser role is facilitated by the Kuznetsov's complement of 12 long-range surface-to-surface anti-ship Granit (SS-N-19) (NATO name SHIPWRECK) cruise missiles. This armament justifies the ship's Russian type designator "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser".