Russia's two roughly 40,000-ton LHDs could restore construction experience lost after the Soviet period. A follow-on carrier in the 40,000-45,000-ton range might use STOBAR fighters such as the MiG-29K, with a small catapult reserved for airborne early warning or carrier delivery aircraft. That would give the fleet a replacement path for Admiral Kuznetsov without immediately attempting a full-size CATOBAR ship. The projection remains speculative because Russian yard capacity, sanctions, build times, and political prestige could pull the program in different directions. A larger Chinese carrier could also encourage Moscow to demand a more ambitious hull than its industrial base can deliver efficiently.
Notable Point · 1:24:09-1:29:18
How Russian LHD construction could support a return to carriers
Building two large LHDs could rebuild Russian experience with aviation ships and make a later STOBAR carrier more plausible, although yard capacity, schedule, and political ambition leave the outcome speculative.