Flashback Friday: Ulyanovsk-class

     This week the topic of discussion is the USSR's planned class of supercarriers, the Ulyanovsk-class. The Ulyanovsk-class was supposed to be a Soviet analog to the American Nimitz-class supercarriers. The main mission of the Ulyanovsk-class would have been power projection and sea control, versus ASW as with all previous Soviet carrier designs.

     The Ulyanovsk-class would have had a displacement of just under 80,000 tons fully loaded, a length of 325 meters, a beam of 40m, and a draft of 11m. The Ulyanovsk-class would have had a top speed of at least 30 knots, and crew of roughly 3,800 men. 

     As with all Soviet carrier designs the Ulyanovsk-class carried their own offensive firepower in the form of 12 SS-N-19 Shipwreck ASCMs in 12 VLS launchers between the forward catapults. The Ulyanovsk-class also carried 24 SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAMs in VLS cells scattered around the deck. However, the Ulyanovsk-class departed from previous Soviet carrier designs in that they were not equipped with ASW weapons, sonar, and large guns. 

     The lead ship of the Ulyanovsk-class, the Ulyanovsk, was under construction when the USSR collapsed in 1991, and was scrapped in 1994 and her metal sold on the world metal market, as was the metal being readied for the second ship. However, there are rumblings that the Ulyanovsk-class design may be used for China's future aircraft carriers (unfortunately the Aviation Week article that I was going to link to is no longer available, so here is a blog post I wrote a year ago with some links on the subject).

     The Ulyanovsk-class was a rather interesting aircraft carrier design, but ultimately was a colossal boondoggle for the USSR, sapping precious resources from more valuable projects. The USSR attempted to build ships that were equal to U.S. Navy ships, rather than concentrating on submarines and cruise missiles which would have been cheap and and hard to kill solutions. In other words, we out spent them, and in trying to catch up they bankrupted themselves.

Photo Credit: Harpoon HQ, K.E. Cepreeb

The Future Of The Chinese Aircraft Carrier Program

     

Defense News reports that Chinese Gen. Luo Yuan of the Academy of Military Sciences stated "If we consider our neighbors - India will have three aircraft carriers by 2014 and Japan will have three carriers by 2014", the General went on to say  "So I think the number [for China] should not be less than three so we can defend our rights and our maritime interests effectively.".     

     This idea is not unheard of, due to the fact that in 2008 a Japanese newspaper ran an article quoting Chinese sources saying that China would build 3 aircraft carriers (not including the Varyag) starting in 2009. Further evidence to support this claim comes in the form of a photo Alert 5 found, and was later posted here, showing the Varyag's starboard side, and a large keel in the next dry dock.

     The keel in the photo appears to be as long as the Varyag itself, and is not yet finished. The keel also appears to be for a ship larger than a destroyer, which are the biggest warships in the Chinese navy (with the exception of the Varyag), and also appears to be extremely large compared to the man in the bottom left center. If this is an aircraft carrier it is probably is of a size similar to the Varyag, and possibly of a different design.

     On top of this, Aviation Week reported that China is also planning to build 2 nuclear powered Project 1143.7 Ulyanovsk-class carriers during the 2020s. The Ulyanovsk-class was supposed to be a Soviet equivalent of the Nimitz-class carriers of the 1980s, and was designed to carry 70 aircraft, and have a displacement of 80,000 tons. However, with collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ulyanovsk which was then under construction, was canceled and scrapped.

      If the Chinese were to build a nuclear powered aircraft carrier similar to the Ulyanovsk-class, it would mean the Chinese would have to learn a who new range of skills. 1. The Chinese have no experience dealing with nuclear reactor on a surface ship, but do have some experience with reactors on submarines. 2. Nuclear powered carriers need special refueling areas for their mid-life refueling, and special procedures for refueling a reactor of that size. 3.The replenishment need for a Ulyanovsk-class carrier is 33% larger than for the Varyag, and the Chinese do not have a large supply fleet or the skills needed for that task.

     One other aspect of the Chinese aircraft carrier program is whether or not they will put anti-ship missiles (ASMs) on their carriers like the Soviets/Russians. When the Varyag was designed, it was supposed to carry 12 SS-N-19 (P-700) Shipwreck ASMs. The Ulyanovsk-class was also designed to carry 12 SS-N-19s, and/or 12 SS-N-12 (P-500) Sandbox ASMs. What is interesting about this is that in the photos showing the Varyag, there has been no sign of VLS (Vertical Launch System) cells that would hold ASMs. However, if there are VLS cells in the photos then there is a possibility that they might be loaded with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) rather than ASMs.

     As the Chinese continue to overhaul the Varyag, it will be extremely interesting to find out more about the Varyag's weapons system, and equipment as more information comes out. On top of this it will be facinating to see how China designs their future aircraft carriers, and associated systems.

Photo Credit: China Defense Blog, Alert 5