Is Russia's Old (And Only) Aircraft Carrier Doomed?
A massive dry dock in Russia sunk and almost took Moscow's only carrier down with it. Russia has four possible options going forward, none of which are good. Cutting its losses on PD-50 and Kuznetsov. Raising and repairing PD-50. Using limited options in Russia to upgrade Kuznetsov. Or going outside Russia to third parties such as China.
While Moscow has wavered between its ambitions for a prestigious, blue-water fleet and a defensive force of smaller ships, the circumstances of the PD-50 accident may force it to accept that the prospects for Kuznetsov and, by extension, the blue-water fleet are not good.
Maybe the Kremlin will take the opportunity to reassess the wisdom of Russia’s misadventures in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere. More likely, however, the Kremlin will double down on its sunk costs and pursue expensive, time-consuming and problematic options outlined above.
The thoughts and opinions expressed in this publication, in addition to any mistakes, are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the U.S. government or its components.
This first appeared in WarIsBoring here.
