List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The list of aircraft carriers of the Soviet Union and Russia includes all aircraft carriers built by, proposed for, or in service with the naval forces of either the Soviet Union or Russia. Although listed as aircraft carriers, none of them (with the exception of the never-built Ulyanovsk) have been classed as a "true" aircraft carrier (supercarrier). Specifically, they were all ASW helicopter carriers or aircraft cruisers, including the Admiral Kuznetsov, the only carrier still in service with the Russian Navy. Russia is currently considering building a supercarrier, code-named Project Shtorm. All completed aircraft carriers of the Soviet and later Russian navy have been built at Ukrainian shipyards in the city of Mykolaiv.
| Name | Class | Type | Commission | Decommissioned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moskva | Moskva class | Helicopter carrier | 1967 | 1996 | |
| Leningrad | Moskva class | Helicopter carrier | 1969 | 1991 | |
| Kiev | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1975 | 1993 | Sold to Chinese company. Converted to military theme park, then hotel.[1] |
| Minsk | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1978 | 1993 | Sold initially for scrap. Re-sold to China as museum piece.[citation needed] |
| Novorossiysk | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1982 | 1993 | Scrapped in 1997 in Pohang, South Korea.[citation needed] |
| Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Baku till 1991) | Kiev class (modified) | Aircraft cruiser | 1987 | 1996 | Modified, rebuilt and sold to India. Re-commissioned 2013 as INS Vikramaditya.[2] |
| Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov | Admiral Kuznetsov | Aircraft cruiser | 1990 | In service with the Russian Navy. Under reconstruction. | |
| Varyag | Admiral Kuznetsov | Aircraft cruiser | 2012 | Launched 1988, construction stopped 1992; hull sold by Ukraine to China. Completed 2012 as Liaoning.[3] | |
| Ulyanovsk | Ulyanovsk | Supercarrier | Keel laid 1988, stopped 1991, scrapped 1992. |