The Varan Class Aircraft Carrier is the first ship constructed under a new shipbuilding UMK design which shifted large Russian capital ships into a standardized hull design. Admiral Kuznetsov the Russian Navy’s sole remaining Aircraft Carrier was scrapped in 2027 as part of the Russian-Ukraine peace accords, leaving the Russian Navy without a aircraft carrier. The lifting of sanctions in 2028 allowed the construction of the Varan to start that same year. The Varan entered service in 2032, with three more ships planned. Combined with the Lider Class Heavy Cruiser form the bulk of the post-war Russian naval power. The Varan is a catapult assisted and recovered aircraft-carrying vessel distinguished by its high level of automation. It can carry 24 multi-role fighters, six helicopters, and 20 drones. The Varan is also equipped with a well-deck to launch amphibious vehicles, it can carry a single Zubr LCAC or 12 BMMPT amphibious tanks. Unlike Western carriers, its also heavily armed with 144 VLS cells and 6 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles, the VLS can fire land attack, anti-ship, and anti-air missiles. For self-protection, the ship is equipped with 3 AK-360 Kustan CIWS, ASW Rockets, KORD heavy machine guns, IR jammers, smoke, and flares, EW warfare, ECCM, and AESA radars.
The ship has highly automatic control integrations with the command and flight systems. This allows the ship’s crew to only be 120, with 90 embarked air crewmen. The ship can launch and recover drones and strike targets in all weather day/night from thousands of kilometers away using satellite and long-range data links. It’s the first Russian warship with internet onboard and the ship can accommodate another 2000 naval marines. Varan’s displacement is close to 45 thousand tons and is the same size as an American amphibious assault ship. It is 250 meters long and 65 meters wide. The draft by the construction waterline is 9 meters. The warship can develop a speed of 34 knots. It is powered by the same nuclear-powered reactors first used in the LK-110 ice breaker and later used in the Lider heavy cruiser. The modular reactor and engine made the construction and servicing of the ship and the commonality between all of these ships cost-effective.
The Varan air power includes MIG-29UK fighters, KA-52N attack helicopters, KA-27M ASW helicopters, and Orlan E and S-70 drones. The Varan is designed to fight in litoral and deep water naval operations including hostile jamming and the use of swarm drones to attack targets from long range. It can be nuclear armed using both MIG-29UK and 9M22 hypersonic missiles as delivery systems.