America’s Nimitz Class VS Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov - Aircraft Carrier Comparison

All of the most powerful navies in the world maintain their dominance using aircraft carriers. These rare beasts are enormously expensive and not every country is able to afford them. We thought it would be cool to compare the main aircraft carrier is operating in the two most prominent navies of the world, the United States and Russia. 1. Quick Facts The United States has a total of 10 identical aircraft carriers that all fall under the designation “Nimitz Class.” The Nimitz class vessels were built primarily as a home for American aircraft. The vessel operates in carrier strike groups, which is an operational formation composed of roughly 8000 personnel, an aircraft carrier, cruiser, squadron of ….. On the other hand, the Russian aircraft carrier named Admiral Kuznetsov was launched in 1985 and is Russia’s only one. The ship was designed to lead a fleet of vessels, or operate solo while keeping enemy fleet at bay by using its ….. 2. Power & Speed The two nations have very different focuses when it comes to powering their ships. Each Nimitz Class carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors and four shafts located on board. While Admiral Kuznetsov is primarily powered by 8 turbo pressurized boilers, 4 turbines, 9 turbo generators, and 6 diesel generators. Both vessels have speeds of around 30 knots or about 35 miles per hour….. 3. Capacity The more recent Nimitz Class carrier have a displacement of 102,000t when fully loaded. It has a length of 1092 feet and beam of 252 feet. Each of the Nimitz Class carriers has about 90 fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and crews upwards of 5,000. This includes FA-18 Super Hornets, Growlers, Hawkeyes, Greyhounds, Seahawk, Sea Knight, sea dragon and V-22 Osprey…. While Admiral Kuznetsov typically carries around 41 aircraft and has a crew of about 1,700. It has displacement of 61,000t when fully loaded. The flight deck is also equipped with arrester wires. The ship has the capacity to support SU 27, MIG 29, SU 33, Yak 41 and wide range of navy helicopters including K-A 27 and K-A 52….. 4. Sensors & Radars Sensors onboard the Nimitz Class include 3-D air search detectors, target acquisition locators, air traffic control radars and guidance systems….. On the other hand, the Russian aircraft carrier is equipped with air and surface target acquisition locators, surface search detectors, flight control radar, navigation sensors and K-band fire control radars for the Kashstan air defense... 5. Firepower & Countermeasures A Nimitz class aircraft carrier is armed with Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles. The ship is also fitted with rolling airframe missile system, which provides short-range defense against incoming anti-ship missiles. The ship is also… On the other hand, the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov has anti-ship missile system equipped with 12 surface-to-surface missile launchers. The air defense missile system includes 24 vertical launchers and 192 missiles. It defends the ship against anti-ship missiles, aircraft and surface ships.....

Credit: Facts Box