RF Admiral Kuznetzov

The Kuznetsov, as seen in-game.

* Base
* Top

## Background History

The **Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov** (Russian: *Адмира́л фло́та Сове́тского Сою́за Кузнецо́в*; Literal translation: "*Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov*") is an aircraft carrier (classified by the Russians as a heavy aircraft cruiser) currently serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy. The ship was laid down during April 1, 1982; was launched during December 6, 1985; and was commissioned during January 20, 1991.

The ship was originally laid down for the Soviet Navy, intended as the lead ship of the Admiral Kuznetsov class. As the Soviet Union disbanded; the second ship of the class, the Varyag, was sold to the Chinese Navy and commissioned as the Liaoning. As for the Kuznetsov, the ship was maintained by the Russian Navy and was remodified several times due to flaws and replacement of outdated equipment.

The ship first entered extensive remodifications during May to August of 2015, and entered another one during July 2018 to this very day. In the meanwhile, the ship participated, along with the Pytor Velikiy and other escorting ships, in the Aleppo offensive during November to December of 2016.

The ship often suffered from engine failures and had to be escorted by an oceangoing tugboat as a precautionary measure.

During its latest refit, the ship was damaged by a 70-ton crane that fell on the ship during November 2018; and by a fire during December of 2019. The ship is not expected to return to active operations until the year 2023.

## Overview

A charming aircraft carrier, jack of all trades; the Admiral Kuznetsov can fight in all conditions with ease and yet at a cheap price.

The ship's Russian heritage gives it a unique characteristic amongst carriers of the second tier. Not only can it perform long-range assaults, but can also deal a heavy blow at close range.

There are flaws of the ship, however. The ship's limited radar range disallows it from viewing any distant ships without the consistent aid of escorting allied ships or from aircraft; and the fact that it is cumbersome should always make players think twice when it comes to traversing labyrinths.

## Tactics

### Playing as an Admiral Kuznetsov

Introducing players to the aircraft carrier mechanics, the Admiral Kuznetsov provides a promising and reassuring armament setup and potential.

During the start of a match, deploy aircraft to provide reconaissance to allies. Plotting tactics and the possible intents of the rival team would be made easier afterward.

Once the battle starts, try dismantling the enemy team by attacking the rival ships that venture too far away from their allies. Lone ships are easier to take down due to their exclusion from their allies' anti-air umbrella. If you find yourself stuck in a close-range duel with other aircraft carriers or surface warships, then do not hesitate in utilizing the ship's grenade launcher and its missile, however, avoid brawling with multi-gunned ships like the Caio Duilio or the Admiral Pantaleyev.

As for any enemy submarines, avoid being at a close proximity to them unless if there are still any helicopters or remaining grenade launcher ammunition to combat them.

### Playing along an Admiral Kuznetsov

With its large size and inherently cumbersome characteristics, the ship will leave a large vulnerability that it itself cannot fend off, to which it necessitates allies.

Avoid exposing an allied Kuznetsov from any submarines, and try to defend it from any multi-gunned surface warships.

### Playing against an Admiral Kuznetsov

The ship, even at the start of the match, is vulnerable, and its Achilles heel will be of great use to any ship that will counter it.

From the distance, avoid spamming missiles but instead try raining down shells or torpedoes; since the ship will struggle to avoid or intercept them. Once the Kuznetsov is close, try attacking it with missiles. The closer the ship is, the lesser it has time to counter missiles, but it will still intercept a sizeable portion of your missiles. You can try ramming the ship as a way of dealing damage, but reserve that only as a last resort.

## Suggested Armaments Setup

The ship, with its flexible armaments setup, can be armed with various weapons that will furthermore improve the ship's performance. Below are some suggested weapons setup. But, bear in mind that these are just suggestions.

### In Tier 2

* Missile Battery: JL1 (Nuclear Missile)
* Grenade Launcher: RUR-5 ASROC.
* Strike Fighter: Su-34 Fullback, Su-47 Berkut, or J-15 Flanker-D, F2-A, F-14 Tomcat
* Fighters: MiG-29K Fulcrum(For high durability fighter) or Chengdu J-10 for faster detection of ships at the start of a battle.
* Helicopter: Ka-52 Alligator for anti-submarine defense or SV-22 Osprey for faster detection of ships at the start of a battle.
* Air Defense: Goalkeeper CIWS, OSA-M.

### In Tier 3

* Missile Battery: S-500 or RUM-139 Swarmer.
* Grenade Launcher: RUR-5B ASROC.
* Strike Fighters: F/A-XX (for a multipurpose aircraft) or F-35 (for high damage) or (Mix of the two).
* Fighters: F-22 Raptor.
* Helicopters: Ka-58 Black Ghost for anti-submarine defense, SV-22 Osprey or WZ-19 CAIC faster detection of ships at the start of a battle.
* Air Defense: ANSEQ-3 Laser AA(for players with the "hero" status), SEA RAM, or Pantsir-ME (30 mm)/Garpun (for an effective elimination of missiles)

## Advantages and Disadvantages

### Advantages

* Balanced armament allows for high potential and capability to combat with ease in most situations.
* Is equipped with missiles.
* High anti-air defense.

### Disadvantages

* Low Radar and Sonar range.
* Low maneuvering ability.

## Trivia

* The ship used to cost 2,750,000 dollars; but was increased to 4,000,000 on January 17, 2022.

## Gallery

RF Admiral Kuznetsov with Su-34 and T-4 on its flight deck.