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The three countries are currently enjoying healthy political relations, smoothing the way for Russia’s continued military cooperation with both China and India with regard to aircraft carrier technologies.
The news that China is about to start building its aircraft carrier is no secret in either Russia or Ukraine. Multiple authoritative sources from the Russian shipbuilding industry have confirmed in recent interviews with the author that China has candidly informed Russia of its intentions. After all, the technology and subsystems for China’s aircraft carrier are largely from Russia.
As reported previously, systems such as arresting equipment for aircraft landings have been imported from Russia. A Russian shipbuilding industry source has also confirmed that China’s first aircraft carrier will use the Russian ski-jump deck.
“This is a Russian invention, but it has been accepted by both India and China,” said the source.
India launched its aircraft carrier construction project about one year ago. It also incorporates the Russian ski-jump deck design for aircraft take-offs, and uses steel plates imported from Russia. It will also use Russian MiG-29K shipborne fighters.
At the same time, Russia has an ambitious plan to build new aircraft carriers for its own navy. The commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Masorin, declared in 2007 that the Navy would need at least three aircraft carriers before 2020 and that Russia would build nuclear-powered carriers.
The design of the new aircraft carriers is currently under way at the Russian Nevskoye Design Bureau. The designs for this project are expected to be completed by 2010, and the first carrier should be finished around 2016-2017 – which coincides with China’s plan to build its first aircraft carrier. The chief designer at this facility told the author in an interview that China had not asked for assistance in designing its aircraft carrier, however.
Russia’s aircraft carrier construction program is not yet officially listed in the 2005-2015 national defense equipment development agenda. Moreover, the issue of using a nuclear-powered propulsion system is controversial within the Russian Navy. It seems no final decision has been made as to what propulsion system will be fitted on the new carriers.
Despite similar timeframes and shared technologies, there are several major differences between the aircraft carrier construction plans of Russia and China. First, the Russian Navy has had 35 years of experience with aircraft carriers, including the technologies and experience of building the Ulyanovsk-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier – even though this project was never completed, having been abandoned at the end of the Cold War. The Chinese Navy has no such experience.
Second, Russia has a full toolbox of production technologies, while the PLA Navy has to search around to acquire these technologies. Thirdly and most importantly, the Russian Navy fleets have practical experience with aircraft carriers, while the PLA Navy has had to start from zero – including the building of large surface warships and strategic nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
Russia today still has a large number of nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles and nuclear attack submarines in service. For instance, there are five Project P671 SSNs in service in the navy alone, eight Project 949B SSGNs and more than 10 Project 970 serial SSNs.
Moreover, the first of the latest generation P885 SSNs has already been launched. The Russian Navy has enough warships and large-tonnage nuclear submarines to form three aircraft carrier fleets immediately. This is in sharp contrast to the PLA Navy’s rather obsolete capabilities.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is in charge of Russia’s defense industry, said recently that an investment of close to 5 trillion rubles (US$180 billion) would be required to build three aircraft carriers. His remark could be inaccurate – actual cost should be closer to US$20.8 billion.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently gave the go-ahead to build the new aircraft carriers, in any case. Putin said last February that building the carriers would boost the Russian economy and improve the social well-being of the country before 2020.
Still this is a huge budget, especially under current global financial pressures. Russia had hoped to cooperate with foreign countries in one way or another to lower the total cost. This is one reason Russia has been closely watching both China and India’s aircraft carrier construction programs.
The production of Su-33 fighters is one opportunity for Russia. China has said it will need this type of fighters, but the production lines for this combat aircraft closed down years ago. If the Russian Navy’s new aircraft carriers also require upgraded variants of the same fighters, the production line will very likely be reopened, which would reduce costs.
At present, there are two shipbuilders in Russia capable of building aircraft carriers. First choice is the Sevmash Shipyard located at Severodvinsk city. This is where the Indian Navy is receiving assistance in upgrading the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, which it bought from Russia. This shipyard also built two Kilo-636 submarines for China’s PLA Navy.
If Russia decides to use gas turbines for its new aircraft carriers it will probably build them here, as this shipyard is now acquiring experience in manufacturing gas turbines for the Indian Navy’s carrier.
The other option is the Baltic Sea Shipyard located at St. Petersburg. This is the shipyard that built the 24,000-ton Kilov-class nuclear-powered cruiser for the Russian Navy. This colossal cruiser uses a KN-3 nuclear reactor. If Russia chooses to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, this shipyard has the advantage with its nuclear technology and experience.
Before the designs are completed the controversy will continue within the Russian Navy and the defense establishment as to whether the new aircraft carriers should use conventional or nuclear propulsion systems.
Within the pro-conventional power faction there are additional controversies. For instance, should the propulsion system use four to six gas turbines or continue using ordinary turbines and boilers?
If the gas turbine is chosen, both China and Russia have the option of using Ukrainian DN-80 gas turbine engines, each of which has an output power of 24,300 hp. China has been licensed to manufacture these DN-80 gas turbines domestically, and the PLA Navy’s 052B/052C destroyers currently use this propulsion system.
An alternative gas turbine would be the M90FR jointly developed by Russia and Ukraine, which has an output power of 27,500 hp.
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(Andrei Chang is editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto, Canada.)
