The construction of a new aircraft carrier could cost Russia about half a trillion rubles (about $6.8 billion) said Vladimir Pospelov, a member of the board of the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation and a member of the Naval Board under the government, in an interview with RIA Novosti.
However, the figure could escalate he said. As per Pospelov, the displacement of the new Russian aircraft carrier should be at least 70 – 80 thousand tons. When creating such large-scale ships, there is always a risk of getting more expensive as construction progresses. “All risks must be taken into account at the planning stage, before making a decision. We can be mistaken by 10-20 percent, but not at times. Otherwise, we will go into long-term construction for many years,” Pospelov said.
At the same time, he said that the Russian aircraft carrier should be cheaper, but also slightly smaller than the US ones, which have 110 thousand tons of displacement and carry more than 100 aircrafts including drones.
Previously, Frontier India had reported that the research and development work to create the first Russian nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will start in 2023. The 70,000 ton carrier is proposed to be put in service in 2027. The project appears to have been preponed as the Russian Navy had earlier said that an advanced aircraft carrier with a nuclear energy unit is expected by late 2030. The Defense Ministry had noted that the contract to build the aircraft carrier may be signed by late 2025.
Earlier, Pospelpv said that the Russian Navy will receive about 40 warships and vessels of different classes in 2021. He also said that Russia may continue to build Project 955 Borey class nuclear powered strategic missile submarines after all ten sanctioned submarines contracted to date are ready. Pospelov did not disclose the exact number of additional Borey’s, but said that the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START-3) clearly defines the number of launchers and warheads.