History, Development, and Use
of the 'Moskva' Class Helicopter Carrier 

This section will cover the history, development, and use of the 'Moskva' helicopter carrier.  In this section you will find where the ship has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how the it functions.

 

Brief Operational History

In the early 1960’s the Soviet navy was debating the value of carrier-based aviation.  Many politicians and officers of the day thought that the money would better be spent on more guided missile ships.  This thinking changed as they became aware of the growing threat posed by NATO ballistic missile submarines operating in waters near the Soviet Union.

The Moskva class ‘anti-submarine cruiser’ was developed to counter this threat.  The design of the ship was highly unusual.  It was a hybrid cruiser/carrier designed to combine an anti-submarine cruiser and a helicopter carrier into one hull.  It was equipped to carry a variety of anti-submarine weapons systems and operate at least eight aircraft (the minimum number required to have two on constant patrol).

The mesh covered helicopter deck at the rear of the ship has five marked landing spots.  These are numbered 1-4 with the fifth one in the center marked ‘P’.  The aircraft were all stowed internally and lifted to the flight deck by two elevators.  The ships could operate a maximum of 18 helicopters, but usually carry only 14.  The Ka-25 ‘Hormone’ anti-submarine helicopter was normally carried, but Mi-14 ‘Haze’ helicopters were carried on at least one operation (the clearing of the Suez Canal in 1973).

The first of these ships was completed in the Nikolayev South Shipyard in 1967.  The Leningrad followed in 1968.  The program was cancelled soon afterward, as the ships were found to be unable to live up to their earlier expectations.   They were poorly suited to long distance missions and had too few aircraft to conduct patrols effectively.

The ships were initially deployed in the Mediterranean Sea with the Soviet 5th Eskadara.  They also operated in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Baltic Sea and in the North Sea as part of task forces or in transit to other locations.  The Leningrad was also involved in clearing the Suez Canal of mines after the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent economic difficulties led the Russian navy to remove the Leningrad from service.  The Moskva remained with the fleet for several years, but was eventually scrapped in the late 1990’s.

    

Tactical Use and Limitations

The Moskva class helicopter carriers were designed to counter the threat posed by ballistic missile submarines operating in the Mediterranean Sea during the height of the Cold War.  Later they were outfitted to also serve as command ships for ASW hunter-killer groups.

In combat the ship was to use its Ka-25 ‘Hormone’ helicopters to create a screen 34-48 miles from the carrier.  They would use sonobuoys and dipping sonar to find enemy submarines.  Once detected, the submarines would be engaged by either the helicopters (using torpedoes) or the ship itself (using its FRAS-1 or SUW-N-1 missiles).  The ship would also use its powerful sonar to help guide other ASW ships towards targets as well.

The Moskva class mounted an impressive array of anti-air and anti-submarine weaponry to assist it in its role, far more than a Western ship of its size.  The ship’s other advantages were more subtle, as they helped Soviet designers learn what was required to develop better aircraft carrying warships in the future.  The Moskva class also had a dramatic effect on NATO morale, who saw the new ship as a part of a growing threat to their carrier monopoly.

With those few advantages came a large share of problems.  The ship’s engines were poorly designed and had to be rebuilt several times, and the ship never reached its design speed even after these refits.  The ship had very poor seakeeping ability and was known to pitch badly in heavy seas.  The small size of the carrier’s air wing proved to be its most serious operational limitation.  There were simply too few helicopters to patrol the area required of a ship that size.  Perhaps the most serious problem from a crewman’s standpoint was that the ship was very crowded.  Several measures were taken to alleviate this problem (including the removal of the torpedo tubes), but they were only partially successful.

   

Deployment Chronology

Here you can see what ship the Moskva class carrier replaced and what ship eventually replaced it in front-line service.  You can find out more about this ship by clicking on the link below.

The Moskva replaced... Moskva Class Helicopter Carrier The Moskva  was replaced by...
Nothing.  The Moskva was a
completely new design		 'Kiev' Class VTOL 
Aircraft Carrier

  

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

  

 

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Helicopter Aircraft Carrier