Russian Aircraft Carrier Kuznetsov on fire

while undergoing refit,


https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status/1205077282601213953

apparently the fire is in the engines area

It's obviously an CIA plot to keep the ship in dock forever.

Sinking dry docks, fires. Whee.

But...but..but..I thought Putin and Trump were the best of buddies??? That's what the news media keeps telling me.

I'd be surprised if they don't completely retire that old wreck after this.

As it is, they only retain it for skills preservation in case they actually manage to build a new carrier someday.

A couple of sites report that's Russia's only aircraft carrier.

What happened to the rest of them?

Gone, the last one was sold to India.

I don't think the Russian/ Soviet navy ever had more than one operational carrier, other than a few months at a time when one came out of maintenance and just before the other went in.

Just read one of them became a Chinese carrier.

If you ask me, it was a total waste of resources and time for the Soviets to make aircraft carriers. That platform didn't lend itself to what the Soviets actually needed during the Cold War and it didn't play to their strengths. Those funds and materials would have been much better put to use on additional boomers, attack subs and large surface missile platforms like the Slava and Kirov class ships. And you know what? I think those same rules still apply to current day Russia as well.

Though Kuznetsov was offensively just as capable a SSM missile platform as Slava/Kirov. It only** lacks in area SAM capability, with a competent PD missile and missile/AAA system.

Theoretically the area AD should be provided by the air-wing, but I don't think they were large enough platforms (with some space taken by the missile offensive armament) to have a full size air-wing with both strike and interceptor capability.

** well, only that, plus the ability to operate at all with continual problems with her fresh-water condensers plaguing her service.

Russian aircraft carrier... blah.

In EECH, I've launched 18 Hellfires at the same time toward one from 8 KM away at altitude of 20 m and sunk it in seconds.

Their escort frigates fired missiles at my Apache and didn't score a single hit.

I think that guy killed his liver right then and there.

One dead, 2 missing, 12 injured. So far.

I wonder if a worker wanted to go home early, like the guy who set the nuke sub on fire at PNSY?