Together with the United States and France, Russia now can fulfill the traditional roles of the fast carrier: air superiority, support of troops ashore, and power projection. While the United States clearly remains the dominant player in carrier aviation, the Russians have the potential to come on fast.
For example, they have apparently been able to adapt an aircraft designed for their Air Force to carrier operations. This is something Americans have not been able to do since the very first days of carrier aviation—certainly not since the advent of constant glide-slope, power-on, unflared landings, which Russian and French carrier pilots also employ. From the looks of this carrier-based Su-33, joining on the Royal Air Force Nimrod that took the photo, the Russians have indeed been quite successful in converting it from the land-based Su-27 Flanker.
The tailhook is obvious evidence of an arrested-landing capability, much like the one used by the Americans, the French, and, formerly, the British and other earlier carrier navies. Their ski jump, however, affords them relief from the steam (fresh water), manpower, and maintenance demands of catapults. (See “The Ski Jump Is the Future,” by Rear Admiral George Jessen, U.S. Navy [Retired], Proceedings September 1995, pages 29-34.) At the same time, it seems the Russian Navy may have turned away from reliance on powered lift—vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL), at least on board these larger ships. To what end the Russians will employ this new capability remains to be seen. Their geographic situation certainly differs from that of the United States, France, and the other carrier-capable navies that preceded them.
But just as the United States learned from the British experience, and the Russians seemed to learn from ours, we might, in turn learn from them. Specifically, a ship with ski-jump launch for high-performance aircraft may be more effective and economical than one with catapults only. A Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) aircraft might be even more capable with both a VSTOL and a ski-jump capability. Most important, from a tax- payer-and-logistics point of view, it might even be possible to equip the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marines with one type of fighter aircraft.
Perhaps our new friends are showing us a way.
Admiral Dunn, a former Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare), has served as the Naval Institute’s Editorial Board chairman.