| Tango01 | 01 Dec 2016 12:53 p.m. PST |
"Many of the fast jets that were embarked on the Russia aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov have been flown to the main Russian air base in Syria, Airbus Defence and Space satellite imagery obtained by IHS Jane's shows. The imagery shows eight Russian Federation Navy Su-33 and one MiG-29KR jets alongside various Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) aircraft at Humaymim Air Base in Latakia province on 20 November. Kuznetsov can carry around 20 fast jets and is known to have embarked at least eight Su-33s for its current deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean, and at least four of the new MiG-29KR multirole fighters for the first time. One of the new jets crashed on 14 November, an incident that a Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement attributed to an unspecified "equipment fault during an approach for deck landing"…"
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| 15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 01 Dec 2016 1:02 p.m. PST |
Makes perfect sense. Why fly further away from the battle zone and carry more fuel with a reduced payload when you don't have to? It's not as if the Admiral K needs fleet-defense fighters against air attack. Maybe Turkey or Saudi Arabia can test that theory. |
| Garand | 01 Dec 2016 1:23 p.m. PST |
Why bring the Adm K in at all then? Wouldn't it be more resource efficient to just simply fly combat aircraft from Russia to Latakia airbase, rather than sailing the Adm K, escorts and ocean going tug(!) all the way down to the Med? Damon. |
Tgerritsen  | 01 Dec 2016 1:49 p.m. PST |
They can use the Adm K as a reserve air base or use it for attack staging as required. Basically, it's an extra air strip to use as needed. |
| Waco Joe | 01 Dec 2016 2:00 p.m. PST |
Because they can and look good doing it too.  |
| dwight shrute | 01 Dec 2016 2:39 p.m. PST |
Putin is just playing with his box of toys . |
| Deadles | 01 Dec 2016 2:59 p.m. PST |
Putin is just playing with his box of toys .
Why deploy Su-33s and MiG-29Ks at all? Why not more upgraded Su-27s, Su-30s, Su-32s or even MiG-29SMTs and Su-24s?
Su-33 is an air defence bird that hasn't been upgraded in 20+ years. It's ground attack capability is limited. Great dogfighter but that's kinda it. Most of the Su-33s are near the end of their lives and are in the process of being replaced by MiG-29Ks.
MiG-29K offers more A2G capability including precision strike but it's still nothing on a Su-24/-25/-30/-32.
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| 15mm and 28mm Fanatik | 01 Dec 2016 3:04 p.m. PST |
Why bring the Adm K in at all then? To make the political statement and prove to the world that Russia, with its only obsolete, prone-to-technical-malfunction, air-polluting mini aircraft carrier that requires to be escorted by a tugboat at all times, can still "project power" and thus is a "major world power" of course. Why else go to all the trouble and expense of doing something (and losing a MiG-29K in the process) that could have been done more cheaply and efficiently? |
| Garand | 01 Dec 2016 3:10 p.m. PST |
To make the political statement and prove to the world that Russia, with its only obsolete, prone-to-technical-malfunction, air-polluting mini aircraft carrier that requires to be escorted by a tugboat at all times, can still "project power" and thus is a "major world power" of course.Why else go to all the trouble and expense of doing something (and losing a MiG-29K in the process) that could have been done more cheaply and efficiently? Yes, I think that is the reason they originally brought it in. But I think in the course of things, they discovered that doing carrier ops in combat conditions is a lot harder than it looks, and want to preserve their aircraft and skilled flight crews from further attrition (and embarrassment). Damon. |
| Deadles | 01 Dec 2016 3:20 p.m. PST |
There's also no point in launching A2G sorties from Kuznetsov as the planes can't take off with any significant bombload. One upside is that as the Su-33s are on their way out, it allows the Russians to add some combat capability and not use up hours on newer jets. |
| GarrisonMiniatures | 01 Dec 2016 4:27 p.m. PST |
Look on it as a realistic training exercise. The Russians have a 'new' capability and need to learn how to use that capability. By finding out now what they can't do, they can start getting it sorted. Meanwhile, they have that they have the ability to get aircraft to a distant battlefield, even if it isn't quite up to scratch operationally. |
| Mako11 | 01 Dec 2016 10:43 p.m. PST |
Yep, 28mm is spot on, as is Deadles. They need to do buddy tanking in order to top off their tanks, if they carry any decent level of ordnance when taking off from the carrier. The carrier may also be able to serve as a nearby safe place to land, away from jihadis, should they threaten the land base as well. |
| Gaz0045 | 02 Dec 2016 12:30 a.m. PST |
The Kuznetsov is in a show the flag move to the Crimea…..conveniently transporting more aircraft to an active front and displaying Russian capability to the West and a home audience…..Russian/Turkish cooperation is on the up to smooth the transition thru' the Bosphorus.
I imagine that aircrew are rotating thru' for combat/operational experience too….. |
decides on hills for his Team Yankee project.
