3d kiev russian aircraft carrier - KIEV RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER by De Espona

First laid down in 1970 the Kiev class was partially based on a design for a full-deck carrier proposed in Project Orel. Originally the Soviet Navy wanted a supercarrier similar to the American Kitty Hawk class, however the smaller Kiev class design was chosen because it was considered to be more cost effective.

Unlike American or British carriers the Kiev class is a combination of a cruiser and a carrier. In the Russian navy this class of ships is specifically designated as a heavy aviation cruiser rather than just an aircraft carrier. The intended mission of the Kiev class was support for strategic missile submarines, other surface ships and naval aviation, it was capable of engaging in anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and surface warfare.

A total of four Kiev class carriers were built and commissioned, serving in the Soviet and then Russian Navy. The first three having served out their lifetimes were decommissioned and have been either scrapped or sold as recreational pieces to China. The fourth ship, Admiral Gorshkov, was modernized and sold to the Indian Navy in 2004.