The Russian Navy's Admiral Kuznetsov, an aircraft carrier with guided-missile cruiser capabilities, faces operational delays amid the Ukraine conflict and sanctions.
The article explores the complex history and design challenges of aircraft carriers, focusing on notable failures like Japan's Ise-class conversions during WWII, Shinano's ill-fated transformation, and the modern struggles of Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov and Thailand's Chakri Naruebet.
Building an aircraft carrier is difficult business. Many of the world’s great navies started by converting other ships into carriers, a practice that resulted in a few successes, and more than a few failures. Other navies worked their way up by experimentation. With China recently launching its first domestically built carrier, and Japan considering the conversion of its
If aircraft carriers are obsolete, then why do so many countries continue to build and buy them? The question goes to the core of modern naval procurement, and not just in the United States.
The rickety Kuznetsov has been in overhaul since 2017. The flattop may never return to front-line service, effectively stranding her twin-engine, supersonic MiGs.