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Repair And Modernization Of Russia’s Sole Aircraft Carrier Is Reportedly Delayed Because Of Incident With Floating Dry Dock

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Repair And Modernization Of Russia's Sole Aircraft Carrier Is Reportedly Delayed Because Of Incident With Floating Dry Dock

The DP-50 floating dry dock’s crane can be seen on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov. The photo was made in late October.

The repair and modernization of Russia’s heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov will last till late 2022 instead of initially reproted late 2020 because of the incident with the DP-50 floating dry dock and other issues.

On October 30, the floating dry dock PD-50 sank at the 82nd shipbuilding plant in Murmansk, which was performing repairs on the heavy aircraft carrying missile cruiser. The dry dock’s crane also fell on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov.

On November 13, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko revealed that the warship had suffered no serious damage in the incident.

“Upon the warship’s arrival at the place of its repairs at the 35th Ship Repair Factory (a branch of the Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center), a special commission started evaluating the damage. A preliminary inspection has found that the Admiral Kuznetsov did not get any substantial damage,” Krivoruchko stated at a conference call led by First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov, according to TASS. “All the measures for restoring the warship’s technical preparedness are being carried out in a planned manner and the required adjustments have already been made to the work schedule and won’t affect the timeframe of completing the works under the contract.

During the conference call, Krivoruchko said that the repair and modernization work will be finished from September 17 to October 30, 2022.

In September 2018, the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novisti reported citing a military source that the repair and modernization of the Admiral Kuznetsov will be finished by the end of 2020. 

According to existing data, in the framework of the ongoing work, the Admiral Kuznetsov is set to receive a modernized propulsion system, improved air-defense measrues as well as radars and EW equipment.

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It’s useless. Just sink it.


No, it’s not, it will get a new power plant and wil undergo other improvements to take care of previous deficiencies, for all practical purposes with the addition of Tsirkon and Kalibr missiles it will be far more effective than launching MiG 29K and Suk 33.

You can call me Al

If a new aircraft carrier is so important in today’s Word, build a new one as the costs can likely be set off against each other.

Sorry, but I also think it is useless.


Yes, it is. Russia should build liders and shtorms instead.


They will build Lidders in due time, after 2020.

R Trojson

The plan is for Russia to spend a billion on it first. Then continue spending as more problems surface. The new Trump arms race is just like the last Regan arms race. Goal is not military superiority but bankrupting what little is left of Russia/USSR. We already have military superiority after this next arms the west will have over 10x superiority since NATO is stepping up to the plate too.

This time it is different since after Russia goes belly up China will step in and pick the carcass clean. Hope Trump has a plan to stop China from taking over what is left of Russia.


You are dreaming, Kuznetsov remodernization at a cost of 2 billion would engage Gerald Ford and its air-wing ( total package worth +20 billion) by firing Tsirkon and Kalibr missiles from a range of minimum 600 kms and sink it before the air wing gets anywhere close to Kuznetsov. Better still a Khinzhal can do the honors from 1000 kms away, the one becoming bankrupt is US, since its MIC produces junk, and does not have the brains to develop hypersonic or antiship weapons.
Let’s see, US needs over a trillion to modernize its strategic triad, and hundreds of billions to develop new weapon platforms that are compatible with Russian and Chinese platforms.
With de dollarization, higher interest rates eating up the budget and spending constraints imposed on the defense budget, US is going to suck rocks to reach military parity with peer powers.

R Trojson

According to you Russia does not even need one carrier, yet they are spending a large fortune to get only one. Then you claim Russia will outspend the US when it comes to the military. Russia needs to arm itself against China not the US. China has to have Russia’s unlimited natural resources and has a plan to take them. Putin already know this, just ask him.


“””According to you Russia does not even need one carrier, yet they are spending a large fortune to get only one. ”””
Talking about exorbitant white elephants look at the US carrier program, Gerald Ford costs 13 billion and counting, unable to outrange a variety Russian antiship missiles fired from a myriad of platforms.
Russia will remodernize Kuznetsov and possibly start building carriers after 2025.
Spending a couple of billions to remodernize Kuznetsov is small change compared to the GF white elephant that cost 13 billion that is useless against Oniks, Caliber and hypersonic weapons.
As far as plundering natural resources in the world, US has shown its avarice through incessant wars, color revolutions, coups…..etc.
China rap sheet is clean.

Let’s face it, US is caught in a very compelling dilemma, they are trying to divide and conquer strategies, however Eurasian alliance (SCO) is strong and involves over 3 billion people with strong economic and military assets.


Steel and paint works at Murmansk in -10 degrees.,
It was already a ”brilliant” idea even without that crane accident.


Why not?


Hard to handle frostly steel in extremely cold weather, even with gloves. Moreover, welded places will cool faster under cold weather, which results in increased probablity of cracking afterwards.

Sand blasting is also hard, as grits tend to freeze and form pellets which may damage blasting guns.

Finally mimimum surface temperature for antifouling bottom paint is 0 C , at least this is what an industry giant like Hempel reccomends.

R Trojson

Almost as if the CIA dictated the plan. Spend a billion on a bottomless money pit. Only thing worst would be hiring Chinese to built their next aircraft carrier. That must be plan B.


Hasbara Alert…..

Concrete Mike

Painting…yeah i agree with you…unless you use oil paint.lots of primer..i dont think a can of sherwin williams latex will stick on a cold boat.

Hot steel work in the cold is great…as long as the wind dont blow your torch out..


Wind can also be a problem with welding as well .

You can call me Al

I am just an armchair analyst (not even a good one), but really Russia this old pile of rust; do you not think that there are higher priorities ?.


Methinks its because Russia currently does not have either the infrastructure, or the money, to buy new ones. So like a lot of cold war legacy gear it has to soldier on.


It is a capital ship, like the Kirov battle cruisers, yes, they are relics, however spending a couple billion to remodernization each and equip them with state of the art weaponry and extend their life be at least couple of decades.
Russia needs some large platforms whereby they can have hundreds of VLS to accommodate their advanced antiship and anti air defense weaponry.
Until they develop the shipping infrastructure in the Far East to build large tonnage warships, they have to rely on the Soviet era capital ships.


Even those are accompanied by tug boats in case the engines stop working.


Kirovs are nuclear powered, Kuznetsov will get a new power plant, so there will be no need for a tugboat.


At least it could be used as a tug boat for the Kirov cruisers


The Kirov cruisers are going to knock out NATO’s aluminum ships singlehandedly from hundreds of kms away. The NATO ships that are disabled and not sinking will need tugboats to be removed from the scene, and Kirov would look at the pathetic sigh from hundreds of kms away.


That’s how are going to happen? Then I should be very worried if I’d be a NATO ship.

You can call me Al

But now you are talking more than a couple of billion !!.


I don’t think so, a power plant, new radar and command and control equipment, new VLSs should not be exorbitant. The dollar goes a lot further in the Russian MIC, since it is government regulated than US MIC that is regulated by corruption and the idea of getting paid for shoddy work, or no work.

You can call me Al

Blimey, good value then; I’ll think the UK should buy a few to act as local power / small nuclear plants to supply to towns/ small cities.


Maybe China start selling some cheap replicas til then.

Ivan Freely

Russian pride will prevent that from happening.


By buying every single piece

MeMad Max

Should just build a new aircraft carrier, thats nuclear powered, and like 20 of them, at least.



Not sure if Russia needs such a thing.

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