Big Fail: The Kiev-class hybrid aircraft carriers were the Soviet Union’s attempt to counter U.S. naval dominance during the Cold War. Designed with anti-submarine warfare and limited air capabilities, these vessels combined cruiser and carrier elements.

-Each Kiev-class ship could launch Yak-38 VTOL fighters and Ka-25 helicopters, but their limited air power and hybrid design fell short in competing with American carriers. Despite carrying potent anti-ship missiles, the Kiev-class couldn’t deliver the sustained air superiority required for carrier warfare.

-Post-Cold War, Russia retired and sold these ships, ending an unsuccessful chapter in Soviet naval history.

Why the Soviet Kiev-Class Aircraft Carriers Never Lived Up to the Hype

After the Cold War, the Kiev-class carriers were retired, sold, or scrapped, marking the end of an unsuccessful chapter in Soviet naval history.

Not big enough to be an aircraft carrier and heavier than a cruiser, the Russian Kiev-class carrier was a hybrid ship meant to answer the U.S. Navy’s growth of submarine-launched nuclear missiles during the Cold War.

This was the second attempt by the Soviet navy to build some kind of aircraft carrier to challenge advances in American submarine and flat-top development. The four Kiev-class ships never succeeded. They did not have sufficient air power or offensive capability and it showed that the Soviets lacked the talent or shipbuilding ability to succeed in carrier warfare.

Bring On the Kiev-class

Began in the 1970s, the Soviets called the Kiev-class the Project 1143 Krechyet which was designed to be the answer to sea-launched nuclear weapons. The Kiev-class built on the earlier Moskva-class that only had 12 helicopters for anti-submarine warfare. Fighting subs was the main mission of the Moskva and the Leningrad to keep the Americans from firing submarine-launched missiles like the Polaris.

Sub-Launched Nuclear Weapons Were Modernized

But then nuclear weapons ranges lengthened, and the U.S. Navy could fire nuclear weapons at great ranges. The Moskva-class did not have the wherewithal to challenge these long-range launches and they were soon considered obsolete. The Kiev-class would have to be the answer if the Soviets were ever to have some form of an aircraft carrier.

Kiev-Class: Only a Handful of Fighters

The idea behind the Kiev-class was to load it up with 20 Yak-38 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighters. But it was easier for the Soviets to man the carrier with anti-submarine helicopters like the Ka-25 sub hunter than a full contingent of Yak-38 fighters. The Yak-38s were really not that powerful and were considered light attack fighters – not really enough to answer the call for the Kiev’s main mission which was to eliminate American carriers, cruisers, and destroyers

The Sandbox Anti-Ship Missile Wasn’t Bad

The Kiev-class carried 16 Sandbox missiles and Goblet surface-to-air missiles with 72 missiles, plus anti-submarine rocket launchers and torpedoes, so the Kiev-class was more heavily armed than the Moskva-class. The Sandbox was one of the best anti-ship missiles during those days and could skim the seas at MACH 2.5 with a range of 341 miles.

The Hybrid Cruiser-Carrier

The first of the class, the 44,000 ton Kiev, went into action in 1976. Three other Kiev-class ships were built - Minsk, Novorossiysk and Baku (later renamed Admiral Gorshkov). The arms were deployed in the bow, which made the ships look like cruisers, but the stern and port side contained the flight deck next to the superstructure island that was aft of the center of the vessel.

Not the Answer

The Kiev-class never came into their own. The hybrid model could not challenge the best American carriers. They did not have the aviation assets to make a difference in aerial battle. The anti-ship missiles were good for the era. With these, the Kiev-class could have hit ships in a U.S. Navy carrier battle group, so that was the upside. The Soviets should have gone full-out to produce a bona fide carrier instead of these hybrid models. There were plans to do just that, but beyond the cursed Admiral Kuznetsov, the Soviet and Russian aircraft carrier program struggled for relevance in a military that was more concerned about land and aerial warfare.

After the Cold War, the Kiev-class hybrid carriers were retired due to a lack of funds and a lack of interest by the Russian government. The Baku/ Admiral Gorshkov was sold to India in 2004. The Russians scrapped the Novorossiysk. The Minsk and Kiev were bought by Chinese business interests.

Expert Biography: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.

All images are Creative Commons.