Russia’s Shtorm Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Explained in 4 Words – Never Going to Happen: Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. Russia is building a new weapon that will have the West quaking in its boots. Putin’s megalomania knows no bounds.
This comes amid the backdrop of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) getting hammered by vastly smaller Ukrainian forces. Almost three years into the war, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has lost some of the most advanced and oldest vessels (including its flagship) to Ukraine’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV) attacks.
So, in this case, Russia will build a nuclear-powered supercarrier, known as the “Shtorm,” which will be bigger than the US Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers (of course), weighing 100,000 tons, carrying 100 aircraft (10 more than the Nimitz) chock full of fifth-generation Su-57 “stealth” fighters.
According to retired vice admiral Vladimir Pepelayev, who previously served as the deputy chief of the main staff of the Russian Navy, “Our promising aircraft carrier should have a displacement of 70 to 90 thousand tons, but the most important thing is not the displacement, not air drones, but aircraft. Today, we have Su-33 and MiG-29K/Cube. In the future, our aircraft carrier will have the Su-57.”
The massive carrier was due to be laid down in 2025 and operational by 2030, and the plan is to build three more carriers to keep the West at bay in the Arctic. This can easily be summed up in three words. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at this supercarrier.
“Can You… I Am The Shtorm”
This is a bad pun. However, this ship is designed to be massive, roughly the same size as the Nimitz, the most significant carrier ever made until the Ford class.
The Shtorm is intended to weigh between 95,000 and 100,000 tons.
She is supposed to carry a larger air group than the Nimitz, consisting of 100 aircraft. This is supposed to consist of MiG-29K fighters, Su-57 “stealth” aircraft, and Ka-27 helicopters.
Nuclear Propulsion
The propulsion systems of Shtorm’s reactor, using a RITM-200 or either 400 nuclear reactor, li, are likely to provide endurance and range.
The “Shtorm” will rely on a combination of nuclear and gas turbines, which may improve operational efficiency.
A unique feature of the “Shtorm” is its hull, which allows it to operate in Arctic conditions.
This capability will give Russia a significant advantage in projecting power in the increasingly contested Arctic region.
In contrast, the Nimitz-class carriers do not feature an ice-strengthened hull, which limits their operational flexibility in polar environments.
Armaments for Shtorm
According to Armyrecognition.com, the Shtorm will also have better weaponry than the Nimitz class.
She will carry cruise missiles and aerial bombs alongside an S-500 anti-aircraft missile artillery system with four combat modules, likely offering a significant increase in offensive and defensive capabilities compared to the Nimitz.
And Now Back To Reality…And Those Three Little Words
I said earlier that this can be summed up in three words, and I will explain my reasons.
Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.
Let’s start with Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. This has caught on fire more times than my barbeque grill (almost). However, to be fair, it is difficult to tell if the ship is on fire or just the sticky, tar-like substance called mazut, which they use for fuel. It smokes as thickly as a Lada, also a stellar Russian design. And worst of all, the smoke hinders flight operations.
It has a terrible record and has been towed almost as much as under its own power. Hopefully, the Shtorm will have plenty of Shtug boats. It hasn’t conducted carrier operations since 2016-2017 off the coast of Syria. Both planes that tried to land crashed. Since then, it has been stuck in a dry dock and will never sail again. At least, that’s my take. Moscow took the crew, converted them to Naval Infantry, and now they’re cannon fodder for the meat grinder in Ukraine.
Shipyards For the Shtorm
Russia doesn’t have a shipyard that can build the Shtorm; they used the shipyards in Ukraine in the past, where Russia just happened to make their most significant ship engines. I doubt the Ukrainians will allow the Russians to build more ships there.
The shipyard where the Kuznetsov is in dry dock isn’t even capable of refitting the decrepit carrier. Never mind building a new state-of-the-art carrier. So, where is this supercarrier being constructed? Russia just seems to avoid those annoying details.
100 Aircraft?
Another annoying little detail is the Su-57. Let’s forget for a minute how unstealthy this thing truly is. This is a big, big aircraft. It is 20 meters (65 feet) long and weighs 65,630 pounds at takeoff. Russia hasn’t had good luck with arresting wires. But regardless, where are they going to store 100 aircraft with these behemoths onboard?
Don’t forget that Russia hasn’t built a carrier variant for the Su-57, whose critics have called it fifth generation “in name only” as it fails to deliver on stealth and advanced avionics like the US F-22 and F-35.
Money Drives the Train
The estimates for building a carrier of this size are estimated to cost $9 billion, which is much less than it will cost since they are entering uncharted waters with this size of a carrier.
Russia’s economy is nearly bankrupt now. Their oil price isn’t getting enough revenue, considering the sanctions the US has leveled against them.
This is one of those “pie in the sky” projects that they keep telling Putin that they are developing a snowball’s chance of happening in Miami.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
