Sea trials of Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier scheduled in fall 2022

The Zvyozdochka shipyard plans to finish the preparation of the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrier for sea trials after repairs and upgrades by fall 2022, the Russian state procurement website indicated.

The shipyard has posted a contract on painting the carrier’s outer surface before September 1, 2022. For that the shipyard plans to allocate over $3.5 million and will receive applications until May 20.

In line with widespread practice, after the painting is done, a ship goes to sea trials.

The shipyard press service confirmed the plans, but noted that all works would be performed amid heightened security measures considering the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, the Admiral Kuznetsov stays in the 35th shipyard (Zvyozdochka subsidiary in Murmansk). Its commissioning is planned for 2022.

Repairs and upgrades

The Admiral Kuznetsov was sent for repairs in 2017 following a mission off the coast of Syria. The carrier will be equipped with the new air defence systems, including the Pantsir-M. Besides, the ship will get new energy equipment, new boilers, pumps and new flight systems, namely landing, observation and control systems.

Since the beginning of repairs, there were two emergencies that caused deaths. On October 30, 2018, when the ship exited the floating dock, the dock began sinking. Due to the resulting lurch, a crane fell on the carrier’s deck, killing one. On December 12, 2019, a fire broke out on the ship. Two people died extinguishing it.