Kiev's flight deck lay at an angle to the hull, but aircraft still used a single launch-and-recovery axis. Weapons occupied the forward part of the ship and positions on the island, restricting usable aviation space. A conventional angled-deck arrangement can separate landing aircraft from an independent launch path. Kiev's offset deck lacked that operational separation, so its appearance alone does not establish the same capability.
Notable Point · 1:45:13-1:46:15
Kiev's offset flight deck still imposed axial operations
The position of Kiev's weapons prevented the independent launch-and-recovery pattern associated with a conventional angled flight deck.