Soviet overspending on defense contributed to the USSR’s collapse in 1991. One notable endeavor, emblematic of Soviet intentions to keep pace with America’s military, was Project 1143.7. This was to be a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, known as the Ulyanovsk, that would have offered the Soviet Union blue water naval aviation capabilities for the first time ever.
But the project was doomed. Just three years after construction on the carrier began, the Soviet Union dissolved. The Ulyanovsk was left unfinished and forgotten. Moscow has never again gotten close to creating a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Russia’s Military is Decrepit
U.S. decision-makers are all adamantly concerned with Russia’s military capabilities, which is curious given how underwhelming Russia’s conventional forces are. Russia can’t even effectively occupy the east of Ukraine, a relatively weak country located directly on Russia’s western border. Russia certainly lacks the ability to threaten the U.S. in conventional terms.
Consider the aircraft carrier, an informal yet reliable metric for gauging a nation’s military and economic power. America has 11 nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Russia has none. Instead, the Russian Navy relies on one beleaguered aircraft carrier that runs on an outdated petrochemical called Mazut. It belches black smog and is limited to just a few weeks of time at sea.
That is assuming the carrier (the Admiral Kuznetsov) is seaworthy to begin with.
For years, the Kuznetsov has been docked to undergo repairs and retrofits, a process that has been hampered by a variety of setbacks and outright disasters.
When considering the Kuznetsov, it is hard to believe that Russia’s predecessor, the Soviet Union, was once on the verge of finishing a nuclear power aircraft carrier. But it’s true.
The Ulyanovsk
The vessel was laid down on Nov. 25, 1988, and it was meant to be a game changer for Soviet military capabilities. Offering two Mayak steam catapults, the Ulyanovsk would have allowed the Soviets to launch fully loaded aircraft, whereas the Kuznetsov, with its ski-jump, is limited to launching less-loaded aircraft.
More important, the Ulyanovsk would have relied on four KN-3 nuclear reactors, which would have allowed the boat to stay at sea indefinitely.
The Ulyanovsk was designed to carry a full complement of aircraft: 44 fighter aircraft, including a combination of Sukhoi Su-33s, Su-27Ks, and Mikoyan MiG-29Ks; six Yakovlev Yak-44 RLD Airborne early warning aircraft; 16 Kamov Ka-27 Anti-submarine warfare helicopters; and two Ka-27PS rescue helicopters. In all, the boat would have been an impressive piece of military technology, something that would have put America on notice.
It wasn’t meant to be, however. The boat would not be commissioned, as planned, in 1995. Instead, the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, and the Ulyanovsk was canceled for lack of funds. At the time, the ship was only 40% complete, and the 1,054-foot, 65,000 ton ship was scrapped — a process that itself wouldn’t be completed until 2015.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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