Project 11431 aircraft carrier
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |
 Itayana |
| Built: | 1984-2013 |
| In commission: | 2017-present |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Length: | 284 metres (932 ft) (overall) |
| Beam: | 61 metres (200 ft) |
| Draught: | 10.2 metres (33 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | +30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | +13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) |
| Endurance: | 45 days |
| Complement: | 155 officers, 1150 sailors |
| Sensors and processing systems: | |
| Aircraft carried: | 16-28 aircraft (estimate): |
| Aviation facilities: |
|
Project 11431 is the official designation of a redesign of Elatian XXX-class aircraft carriers by the Itayana Navy. The original design was conceived as a as a hybrid aircraft-carrying guided missile cruiser capable of a hybrid aircraft-guided missile first-strike from direct following as well as being a versatile flagship for the task forces of Elatian Navy. The second unfinished vessel was purchased by Itayana and rebuilt by an updated and advanced specifications, using available technical expertise.
One ship was modified by the project and currently serves as the flagship of the Itayana Navy.
Development
The origins of the Project 11431 can be traced to 1980s when a series of sweeping reforms was carried out in the western Itayana by the Temple of Yanbango. Amongst other changes was establishment of the Itayana Navy. While at first it was nothing but a green-water force operating second-hand vessels, the Captains' Council of the Navy, the predecessor to the Admiralty of Itayana, already determined the role of aircraft carriers as cornerstones of the ocean-going fleet. Their proposals were thought of as impractical in the '90s economic situation but indirectly influenced shipbuilding industry development efforts of 2000s. A few officers also studied the possibility of Itayana purchasing an older ship from Oxidentale powers as an experimental vessel, a proposal deemed only marginally more practical than building from keel up.
In that atmosphere of economic uncertainty and sweeping changes occurring, the news of Itayana purchasing an Elatian aircraft cruiser, yard number 102, in May 1996 caught everyone by surprise. It was announced that Itayana will purchase the unfinished ship and rebuild it to an updated specifications with foreign assistance on Elatian yards. At the time of purchase, Itayana Navy had no ships to form a carrier strike group, no planes to form a carrier air group, no personnel to crew a carrier, its naval engineering school was in its infancy and had no experience working on aircraft carriers. Interviews with priests and admirals suggest personal involvement of the Supreme Priest of the Sun, who overruled the Temple economy board and forced the deal.
The designers' work was plagued by the lack of experience, feature creep and more and more ambitious demands from the growing industry of Itayana. Technical expertise gathered from Sante Reze and Zacapican aided in developing various aspects of the ship and its air group. Nevertheless, when the work on the ship began in 2002, seven out of eight of the major systems to be installed were either blueprints or prototypes with the only exception being HO-630A CIWS system. The conversion proceeded slowly over more than a decade with systems like combat integration and advanced radar suites being tried and tested on the ship itself. The vessel was delivered for trials in April 2014; those lasted for three years before the acceptance act was signed in July 2017.
Unconfirmed rumors indicate that Itayana may be considering byuing the half-sister vessel to apply similar modifications. Despite advances in shipbuilding and industrial organization, analysts remain sceptical to that ever occurring.
Design
Armament
Electronics
The modified ship accomodated electronic equipment designed by over 400 engineering teams. The overall system is designated Karu-11430 and consists of the ship management suite, navigation and communication complex, three-dimension multipurpose radar complex, electronic warfare complex, sonar suite, air group control suite and combat integration system.
Despite its impressive functionality, a third-party analysis of the design indicated redundancy and over-engineering of the system as a whole and several of its parts, in particluar the electronic warfare suite. The system was described as "a hodgepodge of loosely-connected suites made by resource-hungry bureaus and cobbled together at the expense of practicality and applicability".
Propulsion
The original design was powered by geared steam turbines driving four shafts. Although Elatia possessed tetchnology for making advanced high-pressure steam boilers, it was decided early in the development to replace the powerplant with tried and tested gas turbines, purchased from Zacapican. Eight turbines were installed for an equivalent of total of 240 thousand HP. Four-shaft arrangement was retained, each shaft carrying a variable-pitch propeller of Zacapine origin, driven by two turbines. The maximal speed and range are unknown, but are estimated to be above 30 knots and 13,500 miles respectively.
In addition to the turbines, eight turbo alternators and eight diesel alternators generate 24 MW of electricity to power various systems installed on the ship.
Air group and facilities
The original design of the carrier relied on VTOL aircraft due to the limited size of the angle deck. Despite Zacapine Navy operating Tlo-35 Skua VTOL-capable fighters, the designers decided on conventional fighters in STOBAR configuration.
The exact number and capabilities of the air group are not known and available estimates rely on geometric calculations of the hangar space and sightings on joint maneuvers with fleets of Oxidentale powers. It was estimated that the carrier can embark up to 28 aircraft of various types. Several aircraft were observed, primarily So-30M2 (A16S2) heavy fighters and MiK-28 (A14K4) light fighters. Three Tlo-50 fighters were observed as part of the air group in 2021 on maneuvers with the Zacapine fleet. No naval AEW&C planes have been observed on the carrier and it is not known if the Itayana Navy has any at its disposal. No helicopters have been observed attached to the carrier air groupeither, although helicopters from the carrier group routinely use it for refueling.
The air group is serviced by a 30-ton deck elevator directly behind the superstructure and three arrestor wires. A 14-degree ski-jump is used for takeoff from two starting positions.
Ships in class
| Navy | Name | Translation | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itayana Navy
|
TBD | TBD | 1984 | 01.12.2013 | 25.07.2017 | Active |