 Russian Navy Aircraft Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Picture via Reddit |
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"The
General Staff has developed a program for the ship’s air wing that
will deliver strikes against terrorist groupings in Syria. The program
will allow flight crews to practice taking off from the aircraft carrier’s
deck to perform combat sorties and hit ground targets," the
source said. Thus, aircraft of Russia’s Khmeimim airbase and the air wing of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov will attack militants in Syria in autumn - winter in close cooperation, the source said. The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov that will lead the Russian Navy’s permanent grouping in the Mediterranean Sea will stay off the Syrian coast "so that its fighter jets have enough fuel to accomplish combat tasks and return to the ship’s deck," the source said. During the mission, the ship Admiral Kuznetsov will carry "about 15 Sukhoi Su-33 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-D) and Mikoyan MiG-29K/KUB (Fulcrum-D) fighter jets and more than ten Kamov Ka-52K (Hokum-B), Ka-27 (Helix) and Ka-31 helicopters", the source added. "The aircraft carrier will operate in the Mediterranean Sea approximately until late January - early February. After that, the ship will return to Russia to start undergoing repairs and upgrade in Severodvinsk, probably, at the Sevmash Shipyard in February - March," the source said. TASS does not have any official confirmation of this information. Earlier, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was staying at the 35th Shipyard in Murmansk in northwest Russia to restore its technical readiness. Its air wing started performing test flights on July 1. As it was reported earlier, the ship’s renewed air wing was expected to undergo trials. As sources told TASS, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov equipped with new MiG-29K/KUB fighter jets would head for the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea in autumn. In the first quarter of 2017, the ship is expected to start undergoing upgrade. © Copyright 2016 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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Russia’s aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to conduct strikes in Syria this fall & winter
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