The Kuznetsov Class heavy aircraft carrying cruiser, also known as Project 1143.5 or Orel Class, was constructed at Nikolayev South Shipyard on the Black Sea in the Ukraine. The Kuznetsov aircraft carriers displaced roughly 65,000 tons and for the first time carried conventional take-off and landing aircraft. These included navalized versions of fourth-generation fighters, such as the Su-27K (later 'Su-33') and the MiG-29K, along with a converted Su-25 and several planned new designs. The bow of the Kuznetsov sloped upward in a twelve-degree "ski jump", which would permit short-take-offs from her relatively small deck. In addition to the air wing, Kuznetsov carried a dozen launchers for SS-N-19 anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 and CADS-N-1 air defense complexes, and a pair of RBU-12000 ASW mortars. Admiral Kuznetsov was equipped with the Sky Watch 3D radar. Admiral Kuznetsov was launched in 1985; the intervening political turmoil delayed her formal commissioning until 1991, and she did not become fully operational until 1995. A second-of-class vessel, the Varyag, was launched in 1988 but was never commissioned. Admiral Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy.

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