On October 15th, 2016, the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov set sail from is Kola Bay shipyard (Russian Shipyard #10) bound for the Mediterranean Sea on a mission to supplement Russian assets deployed to Syria with additional firepower and a bit of morale. The carrier, launched in 1985, had never before seen combat, and the mission was supposed to, in part, bolster the image of the Russian military and the overall idea of global Russian power projection. The vessel had begun sea trials and was nearly ready for operational use when the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. Nevertheless, the vessel sailed from the Black Sea to Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea.
Admiral Kuznetsov in the English Channel in October 2016
At this point, however, the ship still had not received its aircraft. Despite this, the vessel still packed a powerful punch; in addition to 6 x AK-630 (30 mm) AA guns and 8 x CADS-N-1 (twin 30 mm Gatling gun) Kashtan Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS), the vessel was equipped with 12 P-700 Granit Ship-to-Ship Missiles (SSM) and a 24 x 8-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS), which fires 3K95 Kinzhal Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM). Finally, for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) purposes, the vessel is equipped with an RBU-12000 ASW rocket launcher. Eventually, in 1993, the carrier’s air wing was brought aboard.
Kashtan CIWS
Fast-forward to 2012, and the vessel was in rough shape. The carrier entered a shipyard for a refit and emerged with its Granit missile launchers removed to make room for more aircraft, along with modernized electrical and radar systems other features to modernize the ship. By the time the vessel set sail for the Mediterranean in 2016, the vessel was carrying 6-8 Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D fighters (which had recently been equipped to carry air-to-ground munitions), 4 Mikoyan MiG-29KR multirole aircraft, and a collection Ka-52K Katran naval attack helicopters, Ka-31R Helix Airborne Early Warning and Control helicopters, and Ka-27PS Helix-D search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters. In company with the nuclear-powered battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy and Udaloy-class destroyers Severomorsk and Vice Admiral Kulakov, the Kuznetsov set sail for Syria. Along with these warships were several support ships, including the Kuznetsov‘s trusty emergency tugboat, the Nikolay Chiker.
British RAF Typhoon escorts the Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy
Although the carrier was undoubtedly shadowed by an American submarine from the moment it left port, the vessel was overtly joined by NATO surface assets a week after setting sail, with two British Royal Navy vessels, the Type-23 frigate HMS Richmond and the Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan, escorting the carrier battle group (CBG) from the Norwegian Sea to the southern reaches of the English Channel. In addition to those surface assets, NATO deployed Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora and US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to RAF Lossiemouth, located in Scotland, and the aircraft were used to monitor movements and transmissions from the Russian fleet. These aircraft were joined, at times, by RAF assets including an RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic warfare aircraft, a C-130J Hercules in a surface surveillance setup, and Eurofighter Typhoons.
Aftermath of a school bombing in Idlib, Syria
On October 27th, a Syrian or Russian airstrike on a school in northwestern Syria killed 35 people, including 20 children. An international outcry was heard in diplomatic circles, and amid the waves came pressure from NATO to have Spain rescind the invitation for the Kuznetsov to dock and refuel in a Spanish port. Russia eventually withdrew their request for docking privileges, and the vessel continued on before coming to a momentary halt off the eastern coast of Crete.
The Kuznetsov‘s air wing had been spotted, at least partially, over Idlib, Syria, as early as November 12th. On November 13th, the first major known mishap aboard the vessel on this deployment occurred when a MiG-29 from the ship’s air wing, starved of fuel, was forced to ditch in the Mediterranean Sea. The pilot ejected and was rescued, but the loss of one of the carrier’s four MiGs was rather embarrassing. It was later announced that two previous landings had resulted in two of the four arresting cables on the flight deck being knocked out of action. The remaining MiG-29 was asked the circle the area until deck repairs could be completed, rather than being ordered back to a land base in Syria. Unfortunately for the pilot, the aircraft ran out of fuel before the runway was repaired, resulting in the pilot ejecting from the plane. The pilot was rescued unharmed. This incident left three MiG-29s aboard the carrier.
Su-33 equipped with air-to-air missiles aboard Admiral Kuznetsov
On November 15th, the Kuznetsov was allegedly recorded launching strikes against ISIS/ISIL (henceforth Daesh) and Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN) in Idlib and Homs, Syria. According to an RT News (RT) camera crew that was stationed on the carrier, the vessels launched Su-33 aircraft equipped with “high-precision 500kg bombs that explode within a meter-and-a-half from any target they aim for”. Alas, in the footage provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and RT, the Su-33s launching from the carrier are equipped only with R-73 and R-27 air-to-air missiles, meaning they could not have been the aircraft that carried out the strikes in Syria.
Air-to-ground munitions pictured in a Ruptly YouTube screencap
Various videos were uploaded to YouTube by RT’s affiliate Ruptly which purported to show Russian strike aircraft launching missions against Daesh and JaN. In fact, none of the videos seen by the author of any of the strikes contained fixed-wing aircraft equipped with air-to-ground munitions. One video does show air-to-ground munitions, but they are not mounted on any aircraft.
Su-33 launching from the deck of the Kuznetsov
On December 3rd, disaster struck once again. An Su-33, Red 67, allegedly returning from a mission over Syria, attempted to land on the Kuznetsov, but instead of coming to a halt, the aircraft was forced to take off once again after the arresting cable on the deck snapped. Due to an earlier mishap, this left only two arresting cables in place on the deck. When the aircraft came in for a second attempt at a landing, it failed to snag a cable and, much to the pilot’s likely horror, also did not have enough power/speed to regain altitude. The pilot ejected and was rescued by a waiting helicopter. The incident left the carrier with one less Su-33, bringing the total to either 5 or 7 (depending on the initial compliment).
The second incident provoked the transfer of the carrier’s remaining air wing to Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia, where the wing continued combat operations. Not much is known about the operations of the air wing during this time, although the Russian MoD asserts that the carrier launched 420 sorties (117 at night), destroying over 1,000 targets. Independent sources dispute that number, placing it closer to 150. We have been unable to independently verify this. Regardless of how many operations they launched, the air wing was recalled to the Kuznetsov in early January 2017 for the return trip to Russia, part of “scheduled scaling back of Russian involvement” in Syria. The vessel passed through the Straight of Gibraltar on January 20th and was escorted through the English Channel by numerous NATO assets.
Kuznetsov and Pyotr Velikiy being escorted by HMS St. Albaans
The Kuznetsov docked in Severomorsk on February 8th, having shed her air wing a day or so earlier (they returned to their nearby land base). The mission was lauded as a success, but as our analysis points out, it was anything but. From the failure to document genuine air strikes to the loss of two aircraft which resulted in essentially removing the vessel from service, the Kuznetsov’s first combat mission was less than spectacular.
