Coyote wrote:Lonestar wrote:
India used to have two ex-British carriers... and they're trying to aquire the Admiral Gorshkov, which is a bit like a CVL except more armed. Imagine it as a combo-crusier-carrier, like an ISD...
Isn't that basically the
Kiev-class? Kinda compact, with only an angled deck; the foredeck loaded down with weapons systems..?
And didn't the Russians have the only mach + VTOL, a Tupelov design with twin-boom tails and the entire engine rotated down to take off..? Tu-141 or some such...? Or -114... It was supposed to be a fleet air arm craft.
Another odd question: were there ever any Mi-24 "Sea Hind" naval variants?
Yes she's a Kiev. Last one Russia has left. As part of the deal, the weapons covered foredeck would be removed and a ski jump installed to allow for operating MiG-29K's. Su-33's are too big for the vessel.
The Kiev originally operated Yak-36 VTOL aircraft. There was a aircraft called the Yak-141 that was much more capable. However it was canceled in the earl 1990's with only a few prototypes built. They're where attempts to attract export orders to pay or finishing development but none came up. That’s actually when talk of selling Gorshkov to India started, and she was going to have Yak-141's. But while the deal comes up every two years or so it's never actually materialized.
There was never a naval hind that I've heard of. The aircraft is far to big for Soviet vessels in terms of hangers and elevators. Also the aircraft needs to conduct rolling take offs and landings, and theres no space do that.
However the Ka-27 helicopter could carry and fire rocket pods and AT-6 missiles, as could the Ka-28, Ka-29 and Ka-32. The puny Ka-25 which originally flew from Soviet helicopter carriers only had ASW weapons.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956