While its sole aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, remains elusive, Russia appears to be expediting work on its mammoth Project-23900 amphibious assault ship.
Citing satellite imagery, Ukraine-based Defense Express reported on April 3 that the construction on the Project 23900 big-deck amphibious assault ship, also known as the Ivan Rogov-class, is taking place at Zaliv yard in the Crimean Peninsula.
The EurAsian Times has received an unofficial confirmation from a leading Russian military expert who wished not to be quoted.
This development is noteworthy because Russia has not been able to develop a destroyer or cruiser-sized ship since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Ivan Rogov-class ship would, thus, be the largest surface warship produced by Russia in over thirty years.
EurAsian Times earlier reported that the country is working on two Project 23900 ships—Ivan Rogov and Mitrofan Moskalenko. A keel-laying ceremony for constructing the first ship was reportedly conducted at Zaliv in 2020.
Russia initially planned to induct Ivan Rogov into the Russian Navy by 2025, followed by Mitrofan Moskalenko in 2027. The delays may have been caused by Moscow’s occupation with the Ukraine war and the overarching international sanctions.
Some reports in the Ukrainian media suggested that Russia plans to make these ships the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, which has been decimated by recurrent attacks launched by Kyiv’s forces.
While satellite imagery shows that the hull construction is in advanced stages, Defense Express estimates that the vessel’s delivery will be pushed to 2028.
The report assesses that the vessel would be about 220 meters long and 40 meters wide and have a displacement of 40,000 tons. “It is expected to carry up to 20 helicopters and 1,000 marines, essentially serving as a floating base for amphibious operations,” it noted.
This is consistent with a previous statement made by former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko, who confirmed in an interview that “two universal amphibious assault ships of a new project with a displacement of 40 thousand tons each were laid down under the leadership of the President of the Russian Federation.”
If the reports are authenticated, the displacement of the Russian amphibious assault ship is comparable to that of China’s Type-076 and American Wasp-class warships.
Notably, this puts the Project 23900 Class miles ahead when pitted against France’s Mistral Class ships (21,500 tons), South Korea’s Dokdo Class ships (19,500 tons), and Japan’s Izumo Class (27,000 tons), as previously explained by the EurAsian Times.
However, there is no way to ascertain how many helicopters Ivan Rogov would be able to accommodate.
Though specific information about the vessel’s features is scant, previous official models and renderings have depicted Ka-52-series attack helicopters and Ka-27/29-series anti-submarine warfare/armed utility helicopters on the ship’s deck.
The multipurpose ships could deploy rotary combat aircraft in different missions while also possessing the ability to transport over a thousand marine infantry personnel.
Additionally, there is also speculation that Russia might make way for carrier-launched unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are fast gaining traction in modern combat. However, there is no official confirmation from Moscow at this point.
The cutting-edge assault ships are equipped with a landing craft dock that can transport armored vehicles. Earlier, Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation told state media: “The customer has set the task of ensuring the ship’s interaction with the land troops. We have been assigned the task of providing for the possibility of employing not only seaborne helicopters but also multi-purpose gunships so that they can temporarily land on the ship for the embarkation or disembarkation of a particular contingent.”
However, a retired Ukrainian Navy Captain Andrii Ryzhenk, who Defense Express cited, questioned the idea behind constructing such a strategic asset in what he described as “a confined and increasingly hostile Black Sea.” Arguing that Russia is now on a collision course with most Black Sea coastal states, the expert highlighted that “there are very few places where it can actually operate.”
Additionally, he stressed that while the Ivan Rogov-class ships would have two Pantsir systems, their defenses would still be much weaker than those of the Moskva Cruiser, which was sunk by Ukrainian forces. He warned that with Ukrainian maritime drone attacks on the rise, Ivan Rogov might become a high-value, poorly protected target.
These assertions cannot be independently confirmed.
However, EurAsian Times understands that the construction of a new amphibious assault ship is a significant development because not only does Russia need a new large vessel after Moskva’s loss, but it also needs a vessel that can carry helicopters and, perhaps even short take-off and landing aircraft that it may develop, as its Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier is yet to be welcomed back into service.
They are likely to provide the Russian Navy with a more flexible, affordable, and efficient alternative to the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.
6 Years On, Russian Aircraft Carrier Is Still Elusive
The Russian Navy’s Admiral Kuznetsov has been undergoing overhauls since 2018. As per previous reports, this sole Russian aircraft carrier was being upgraded with a new power plant, improved weapons, a repaired catapult, and various air defense systems.
Admiral Kuznetsov was originally scheduled to return to service by 2022, but many fire mishaps, organizational issues, and other technical issues have led to delays. The carrier, now akin to Russia’s ‘ship of shame’ missed the date for reinduction into service which was set for the end of 2024.
Several newspapers, including The Sun, have presented a bleak picture, speculating that the carrier may never set sail again. “Russia is no longer an aircraft carrier nation,” said the headline of an article published last year by The Telegraph, a well-known British newspaper.
Admiral Kuznetsov was built at the Black Sea Shipyard, the only manufacturer of Soviet aircraft carriers, in Mykolaiv, within the erstwhile Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and launched in 1985. It was first commissioned into duty with the Soviet Navy, but following the fall of the Soviet Union, it was moved to the Russian Navy.
The last time this carrier saw combat was in 2016, when it was deployed for operations off the coast of Syria. During the deployment, the pilots of the air group carried out more than 400 sorties, hitting over 1,200 terrorist targets.
The aircraft carrier earned the moniker of a “cursed carrier” due to the many accidents it has suffered since entering the dry docks for refurbishment in 2018. You can read a detailed EurAsian Times article on the many accidents that have plagued this carrier here.
Alexei Rakhmanov, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), announced in February 2023 that the aircraft carrier had been removed from the dock and placed in a permanent repair facility. He also mentioned that the aircraft carrier should be returned to the battle fleet the following year.
However, the refurbishment may be moving at a snail’s pace, given that we don’t have an update on the carrier yet. American shipyards typically take three years to overhaul the US Navy’s nuclear-powered flattops. In contrast, the sole Russian carrier has been under repair and refurbishment for seven years. The process has also been marred by international sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of its Ukraine invasion.
While several reports in local Russian media over the past year have suggested that the carrier may finally be launched this year, Russia has not yet officially confirmed this.
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