Soviet aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk

Planned Soviet nuclear powered aircraft carrier

Soviet nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk

Class overview
Name| Ulyanovsk class
Builders| Chernomorsky Shipyard 444
Operators|  Soviet Navy
Preceded by| Kuznetsov class
Succeeded by| Project 23000
Planned| 2
Cancelled| 2
History
Soviet Union
Name| Ulyanovsk (Russian: Улья́новск)
Ordered| 11 June 1986
Laid down| 25 November 1988
Commissioned| December 1995 (planned)
Stricken| 1 November 1991
Fate| Scrapped at 40% completion 5 February 1992
General characteristics
Type| Aircraft carrier
Displacement|

* 65,800 tons standard
* 75,000 tons full load[1]

Length| 321.2 m (1,054 ft) overall[1]
Beam|

* 83.9 m (275 ft) overall[1]
* 40 m (130 ft) at waterline[1]

Draught| 10.6 m (35 ft)[1]
Propulsion|

* 4 × KN-3 nuclear reactors
* 4 × steam turbines, four shafts, 280,000 shp (210,000 kW)

Speed| 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range| Unlimited distance; 20–25 years
Endurance| Limited only by supplies
Complement| 3,400 total[1]
Armament|

* 12 × P-700 Granit SSMs,
* 3S90 Uragan SAMs,
* 8 × CADS-N-1 CIWS,
* 8 × AK-630 rotary anti-aircraft cannons

Aircraft carried|

* 68 aircraft total
* 44 Sukhoi Su-33
* and/or Mikoyan MiG-29K
* 6 × Yak-44 radar picket aircraft
* 16 Kamov Ka-27 ASW helicopters
* 2 Kamov Ka-27PS SAR helicopters[1]

Ulyanovsk (Russian: Улья́новск, IPA: [ʊˈlʲjanəfsk]), Soviet designation Project 1143.7, was a fixed-wing aircraft carrier laid down on 25 November 1988 as the first of a class of Soviet nuclear-powered supercarriers. It was intended for the first time to offer true blue water naval aviation capability for the Soviet Navy. The ship would have been equipped with steam catapults that could launch fully loaded aircraft, representing a major advance over the Kuznetsov class, which could only launch less-loaded aircraft from their ski-jumps. However, construction of Ulyanovsk was stopped at about 40% after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.[2]

## History

[edit]

### Background

[edit]

The Soviet Union's Nevsky Engineering Design Bureau developed the third-generation heavy aircraft cruiser Kuznetsov with Su-33 in the 1980s (Plan 1143.5/Order 105) and the Varyag aircraft carrier (Plan 1143.6/Order 106), at the same time, in December 1984, the construction of the fourth-generation large-scale nuclear-powered heavy aircraft cruiser began. The plan number was "Plan 1143.7", and the preliminary design was completed in 1986. On November 25, 1988, construction for "Order 107" ― named Ulyanovsk ― officially began at the Black Sea Shipyard.

To this end, the Soviet government allocated funds to carry out the second large-scale technical transformation of the Black Sea Shipyard, including:

* the construction of an assembly and welding workshop, allowing the hull to be increased in sections to 200 tons;
* a 350-ton self-propelled flatbed truck;
* a transport lane from the new workshop to the slipway;
* the length of No. 0 slipway was lengthened by 30 meters;
* a horizontal slipway-side platform with a total weight of 1,700 tons;
* installing a slipway and slipway-side platform;
* two new gantry cranes each with a lifting capacity of 900 tons, and other new cranes, bringing the number of cranes used on the entire slipway to ten;
* a river channel to ensure that the Ulyanovsk would be able to go to sea in the future.

### Ending

[edit]

Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the amount of funding to complete the carrier was insufficient, and the aircraft carrier construction plan was suspended. As of November 1991, Ulyanovsk was only 40% complete.

The No. 2 ship "Plan 1143.8" originally planned to be built was also cancelled at the same time.

## Design

[edit]

United States Department of Defense artwork of a Soviet nuclear-powered aircraft carrier similar to Ulyanovsk, under construction

Ulyanovsk was based upon the 1975 Project 1153 Orel, which did not get beyond blueprints. The initial commissioned name was to be Kremlin, but was later given the name Ulyanovsk[3] after the Soviet city of Ulyanovsk, which was originally named Simbirsk but later renamed after Vladimir Lenin's original name because he was born there.

It would have been 85,000 tonnes in displacement (larger than the older Forrestal-class carriers but smaller than contemporary Nimitz class of the U.S. Navy). Ulyanovsk would have been able to launch the full range of fixed-wing carrier aircraft, as it was equipped with two catapults as well as a ski jump. The configuration would have been very similar to U.S. Navy carriers though with the typical Soviet practice of adding anti-ship missile (ASM) and surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers. Its hull was laid down in 1988, but construction was cancelled at 40% complete in January 1991 and a planned second unit was never laid down.[1]

In accordance with Decree No. 69-R of February 4, 1992, signed by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Kostyantyn Masyk, on February 5, 1992, scrapping of the ship's hull structures began. By October 29, 1992, the slipway was free, and the ship (order 107) had ceased to exist.

## Air group

[edit]

Yak-44 and Su-33 on the deck ATAKR Ulyanovsk

The Ulyanovsk air group was to include 68 aircraft with the following planned composition:[1]

* 44 fighter aircraft, combination of Sukhoi Su-33 (Su-27K) and Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters
* 6 Yakovlev Yak-44 RLD airborne early warning aircraft
* 16 Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare helicopters
* 2 Ka-27PS air-sea rescue helicopters

The ship was equipped with two "Mayak" steam catapults made by the Proletarian Factory in Leningrad, a ski-jump, and four arresting gear. For storing aircraft, it had a 175×32×7.9-m hangar deck with aircraft elevated to the flight deck by three elevators with carrying capacities of 50 tons (two on the starboard side and one on the port). The stern housed the "Luna" optical landing guidance system.

## See also

[edit]

* List of ships of the Soviet Navy
* List of ships of Russia by project number
* Project 23000 aircraft carrier

## References

[edit]

Citations

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yu.V. Apalkov, "Korabli VMF SSSR", Galeya Print, Sankt-Peterburg 2003
2. ^ Culp, Wesley. “The Soviets Tried and Failed to Build a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier to Match US Flattops.” Business Insider, 8 June 2022, https://www.businessinsider.com/the-soviets-tried-failed-to-build-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-2022-6.
3. ^ Rochlin, G. I.; La Porte, T. R.; Roberts, K. H. (Autumn 1987). "The Self-Designing High-Reliability Organization: Aircraft Carrier Flight Operations at Sea". Naval War College Review. LI (3). Archived from the original on December 13, 2006.

Bibliography

* Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2006). Jane's Fighting Ships 2006-7. Coulsdon, Surrey: Janes Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2753-7.

## External links

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* Hazegray.org entry.
* Project 1143.7 Orel Ul'yanovsk class, GlobalSecurity.org.
* A Brief Look at Russian Aircraft Carrier Development, Robin J. Lee.

* v
* t
* e

Soviet and Russian ship classes after 1945

Aircraft carriers|

* Moskva
* Project 1160P X
* ORELP X
* Kiev
* Kuznetsov
* UlyanovskX
* Project 23000P
* Project LMAP

Battlecruisers|

* StalingradX
* Kirov

Cruisers|

* Sverdlov
* Kynda
* Kresta I
* Kresta II
* Kara
* Slava
* Project 22350MKP
* Project 21956MKP
* Project 23560 Skval

Destroyers|

* Skory
* Neustrashimy
* Kotlin
* Kildin
* Krupny
* Kanin
* Kashin
* Sovremenny
* Udaloy
* Project 22350M
* Project 21956P

Frigates|

* Kola
* Riga
* Petya
* Mirka
* Koni
* Burevestnik
* Gepard
* Neustrashimy
* NovikP X
* Admiral Grigorovich
* Admiral Gorshkov
* Rusich-1

Corvettes|

* Poti
* Pauk
* Parchim
* Nanuchka
* Tarantul
* Bora
* Grisha
* Mukha
* Buyan
* Steregushchiy
* Gremyashchiy
* Karakurt
* Derzky
* BrizP
* Rusich-1500P
* Project 20386

P / M / T boats|

* Kronshtadt
* P 6
* Pr 123K
* Komar
* Osa
* Shershen
* Stenka
* Turya
* Pr 1204 Shmel
* Zhuk
* Mukha
* Matka
* MuraveyBG
* Sarancha
* SvetlyakBG
* RubinBG
* Project 22160
* Project 23550
* Pr 03160 Raptor
* BrizP
* OkeanBG
* Rusich-2400P
* Pr 133RA Antares-RA
* Pr 21980 Grachonok
* Pr 12260 Yastreb
* Pr 14310 Mirazh
* Pr 12150 Mangusta
* Pr 02800 DShL

Minesweepers|

* T43
* T58
* Yurka
* Natya
* Gorya
* Sasha
* Vanya
* Zhenya
* Sonya
* Yevgenya
* Alexandrit
* Lida

Amphibious ships|

* Nosorog
* Tapir
* Ropucha
* Polnocny
* Dyugon
* Ondatra
* Serna
* Merkuryy Delfin LHD HC LAC P X
* Project 10200 Khalzan P X
* Project 11780P X
* Ivan Gren ° Andreev ° Kajman
* Priboy P
* Lavina P X
* Project 23900

Spy ships|

* Moma
* Marshal Krylov
* Primor'ye
* Balzam
* Vishnya
* Yury Ivanov

Air-cushioned landing craft|

* Gus
* Lebed
* Tsaplya
* Aist
* Zubr
* CzilimBG

Icebreaking patrol vessels|

* Ivan SusaninBG
* PurgaBG
* Project 23550

Other vessels|

* SSV-33
* Don
* Ugra
* Smolnyy
* Dunay
* Lun

Cancelled

Border Guard service

Project
P X
Project, Cancelled

* v
* t
* e

Ukrainian ship classes

Aircraft carriers|

* KuznetsovS
* UlyanovskS,X

CruiserS|

* SlavaS

FrigateS|

* BurevestnikS

Corvette|

* GrishaS
* Volodymyr VelykyiP

A / M / T boats|

* ZhukS
* MuraveyBG,S
* MukhaS
* Gurza
* Gurza-M
* OrlanBG
* KoralBG

Amphibious ships
Fast assault craft|

* Ropucha
* Polnocny
* OndatraS
* CentaurP

Air-cushioned landing craft|

* ZubrS

Other|

* GofriS

Sea Guard service

Project

built in the Soviet Union

cancelled
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