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Project 1150 Light Aircraft Carrier

In 1968 the TsKB17/Nevskoye bureau began to revise the Project 1123.3 design of the third Moskva ASW cruiser. In 1967, in Domodedovo, in addition to vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, fighters with variable wing sweeps were also demonstrated. It was under them that in 1968 the development of light aircraft carriers (ABL) with a displacement of 45,000-50,000 tons resumed in the Nevsky Design Bureau. The Project 1150 light aircraft carrier of 1968 might have been either nuclear or conventionally powered, with a displacement of 50,000 tons, 280 meters long and a beam of 60 meters, with 38 aircraft.

The "Project 1150" nomenclature is contested, as it would replicate the well attested patrol ship ” Neustrashimiy” (fearless) project 1150 “Hawk” type). This Light AB was offered in the 1970s as an alternative to nuclear AB projects 1160 and 1153.

It was necessary immediately to launch in the series light aircraft carriers (the so-called AVL) with a displacement of 50,000 tons. Having built in the early 1970s. With 4 such ships, the country would provide itself for these years with a well-balanced fleet. Moreover, a magnificent series of large anti-submarine ships of projects 1134A and 1134B was born, which could become security ships in a warrant with aircraft carriers. In this case, the aircraft carriers-cruisers of the project 1143, which the whole world was perplexed, could never have appeared, and which slowed down the construction of real aircraft carriers in our country for 20 years, making the Soviet fleet somehow one-sided.

At the same time, the question of the use of the ships of Project 1134 was acute. Initially created for the support of the 1123 helicopter carriers, they did not receive the whole gamut of weapons intended for them for a number of reasons and clearly did not meet the tasks assigned to them. By the mid-1970s. Received an offer to remake all four ships in radar patrol ships with the functions of a staff ship. The Northern Design Bureau was issued a TTZ for the refitting of these ships under Project 962. With the exception of the RBU-1000 and RBU-6000, the armament was completely replaced, more powerful radar was installed. In one of the variants were installed 2 PU MRS-22, 2 100-mm AU-100, 4 30-mm AU AK-630 with the appropriate control systems. It was supposed to be one ship for each fleet. Again they were embarrassed by the high costs of these works, So the matter ended only in the workings. The ships in their original form (with minor upgrades) ended their service.

The aircraft carrier was to carry 28 variable-geometry fighters (MiG-23 type), four long-range radar surveillance aircraft (DRLO) Two reconnaissance aircraft - a jammer on the basis of a fighter and four search and rescue helicopters Ka-25PS. The anecdotal situation was that aircraft carriers were available only to helicopters (they were based earlier on helicopter carriers of the Moscow type).

Because of the secrecy of the time, they could not get any data on the aircraft being developed, and therefore they designed the Soviet aircraft carriers based on the parameters of the American F-111B fighter aircraft and the E-1 Tracer E-1 plane, drawn from the open press.

Despite this, the project was quite realistic: the designers abandoned the delusional idea to combine all functions in one ship, focusing on the aviation component. Of the additional weapons were left two air defense missile systems "Wasp", four universal 100-mm guns, four 30-mm six-barreled anti-aircraft guns and four anti-torpedo jet bombs. The dueling situation with American aircraft carriers was not even considered, the task of the maximum of the Soviet aircraft carrier was to at least neutralize the actions of the American aircraft carrier group.