The Soviet carrier plans grew from about 14,000 to 25,000 tons while addressing a navy divided between distant theaters and poorly supported by aviation infrastructure. Carrier fighters could protect forces in constrained waters and counter Japan's established carrier power in the Far East. In the Baltic, organic fighters offered protection where land-based aviation support could be difficult to coordinate or sustain. In the Arctic and Black Sea, embarked aviation would expand the operational area a Soviet fleet could influence. The projects show carriers being used to compensate for geography and weak supporting infrastructure rather than imitate another navy's force structure.
Chapter · 16:28-17:39
Stalin's carriers as an answer to geography and weak infrastructure
Planned Soviet carriers offered organic fighters and wider reach across fleets divided among the Baltic, Black Sea, Arctic, and Far East.