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Analysis New Russian aircraft carrier likely to be developed from project 11437 - take 2

Two sources in the shipbuilding industry have recently told TASS about the construction of a new Russian aircraft carrier and the deadline for the design of the technical assignment and technological documentation for the uncompleted warship of project 11437. The new aircraft carrier is designed by Nevskoe Bureau, expert Alexander Shishkin writes in his blog.

A scale model of the «Lamatin» (project 11430E) aircraft carrier was presented to Russian President Vladimir Puttin during his visit to the Crimean naval city in January 2020 (Picture source: Kremlin.ru)

Cooperation with India helped Nevskoe bureau preserve its competences and train high-level young professionals. The modernization of aircraft carrier of project 11434 for the Indian Navy can be described as "new warship in the old hull ". However, the new sky jump changed the hull as well. The young staff resumed the abandoned production cooperation in the construction of Vikramaditya aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. Nevskoe Bureau designed an Indian ground simulator for naval aircraft and produced a technical project of a set of technical means for the Vikrant aircraft carrier built in India.

In 2016, before the warship group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier sailed to Syria, Nevskoe Bureau designed the means to accommodate multirole MiG-29K/KUB on the warship, specifically the means to keep new aircraft weapons.

At present, Nevskoe Bureau is engaged in the design of technical assignment to restore the readiness and upgrade the Admiral Kuznetsov, technical backup of the work, design of big landing ships of project 11711 of the second series, technical backup to the construction and trials of the Petr Morgunov amphibious assault ship of project 11711, design of prospective aircraft carrier and universal landing ship (annual reports said own investments in 2016-2018 comprised half a billion rubles).

It shows the rumours about the collapse of Nevskoe Bureau are groundless. They appeared after Business Online publication quoted anonymous sources in the United Shipbuilding Corporation who claimed the bureau was on the brink of bankruptcy and landing ships will be designed by Zelenodolsk Bureau. In early 2020, Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation presented to the Russian president a project which closely resembled the French Mistral.

The replacement of Nevskoe bureau by Zelenodolsk looks strange. The former is the only organization in the country with a rich 60-year experience of construction of all aircraft carriers and landing ships for the Russian Navy. The experience of Zelenodolsk Bureau is limited by frigates of project 11540 (displacement 4350 tons with one Ka-27 helicopter). It has no experience in amphibious assault ships.

As for Ak Bars project of a landing ship demonstrated in Sevastopol, the speed of its emergence makes one think the company is bluffing. The 2018 annual report of Zelenodolsk Bureau of November 22, 2019, said nothing about universal landing ships. Even if some design was done in 2019, one year is insufficient for rough design of a warship with a displacement of 25000 tons for a non-core design bureau. Besides, only four months remained to the laying of two warships in Kerch when Zelenodolsk presented its Mistral.

Nevertheless, Zelenodolsk has a chance to receive an order for universal landing ship design if there is mental derangement in naval shipbuilding. It remains to believe that reason will triumph, expert Alexander Shishkin said.