What the Yak-38 gave the Kiev class

The Kievs combined target verification, scouting interception, anti-submarine helicopter operations, and missile combat. Soviet anti-submarine doctrine preferred three helicopters, with two holding a contact while the third attacked or the aircraft exchanged roles. Yak-38 planning followed a similar three-aircraft pattern, leaving a small embarked group able to keep one set on ready alert. Limited airframe hours made deck alert more sustainable than trying to maintain aircraft continuously overhead. Once launched, the Forgers could intercept, identify, and sometimes engage a contact while extending the ship's outer defensive layer. Kiev was a missile-armed ASW combatant with a small V/STOL layer, a different proposition from a US-style strike carrier.