It’s becoming more and more obvious that the U.S. Navy needs to upgrade its fleet, but say whatever you want; at least we don’t keep having our only aircraft carrier catch ablaze. You can’t say the same for the nation invading Ukraine, as the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (Admiral Kuznetsov) was reported to have caught on fire. Crazily enough, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Read next:Sink or Swim, the USS Texas Flooding Itself Was a Gamble That Paid Off

Behind the Russian Aircraft Carrier

Does Russia have an aircraft carrier? Yes, the Russian aircraft carrier serving the country is the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier. It should also be noted that as part of its ongoing maintenance, incidents keep happening that are keeping it out of service. This is great news if you’re into things like a free Ukraine, less war, and increased naval dominance by the United States. Being a Russian aircraft carrier on fire is nothing new for the ship, as this ain't the first time it’s happened.

How Many Aircraft Carriers Does Russia Have?

There are seven Russian aircraft carriers; however, only one is actually in service. Of course, if things continue on this path, it may have none soon. Seriously... Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern. Having another Admiral Kuznetsov fire would just be a conspiracy at that point.

This. Ship. Is on Fireeee!

Russian news agencies are reporting that flagship Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was damaged in a minor fire at a shipyard in Murmansk while undergoing repair work. As reported by Russian media, state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) President Aleksey Rakhmanov is saying that the fire was quickly extinguished, and there were no accidents to report. This is all part of an ongoing overhaul of Admiral Kuznetsov, which began in 2017 and was originally scheduled to conclude in 2021. Throughout this period, there have been delays and accidents. Unfortunately, the previous incident is a bit more somber. The fire that broke out in December 2019 led to the death of one person and the injury of 12 others. An unspecified amount of damage was caused to the crane by a collapsed floating dock the previous year. The Admiral Kuznetsov won't return to service before 2024, and it's unclear now that a second fire has broken out whether or not this timeline will be delayed even further.

Will the Future Russian Aircraft Carrier Be Fire-Resistant?

Project 23000E Shtorm is the proposed new Russian aircraft carrier that could be built for future conflicts. Sadly, it may be fire-resistant, as a small Google search shows that apparently many, many people have figured out ways to eliminate or mitigate fires. For now, depending on how long the invasion goes, Russia is likely concerned that Ukrainians may discover this weakness and deploy weaponry against them. Can the next Russian aircraft carrier survive against man’s first discovery? Only time will tell. Suggested read:How WWII’s PQ-17 & USS Washington Faced Off Against the Germans

Image: AP