Navy CINC Vysotskiy (photo: RIA Novosti)
RIA Novosti has more coverage of Navy CINC Vysotskiy’s carrier comments from yesterday. Vysotskiy said there’s a plan to build and launch an aircraft carrier by 2020, and the technical proposal for it has to be developed and ready by the end of 2010.
“According to the plan, by year’s end we’ll receive the technical proposal for a future aircraft carrier with the basic tactical-technical characteristics. Then development of the working documentation will begin.”
He said experimental-design work (OKR) was already under way.
Vysotskiy noted that a Federal Goal Program (FTsP) was needed to construct an aircraft carrier, because financing to do it in the State Defense Order (GOZ) would be very complex.
Former Navy CINC, now advisor to the Defense Minister, Vladimir Masorin, remarked that carriers make it possible to influence the situation in the world, and its different regions. He added that, if Russia wants to become a great naval power, it has to have carriers and they will have to be nuclear-powered. He believes the main thing is preserving Russia’s scientific potential and carrier pilot skills:
“Aircraft carriers can’t be built in a short period. We have to preserve our scientists, designers, and pilots.”
Russian Defense Policy 