Beretta ARX 160

Springfield M1A with modified stock

Type 10 Hitomaru

JapaneseType 74 tank

Slava-class cruiser

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit · stealth bomber

SCAR17

M4 Shotgun

Desert Tactical Arms SRS .338LM rifle with scope

Colt LE6920 in green jungle camo

General Dynamics F-111C

HK416 with silencer

Stridsvagn 103

FV107 Scimitar

Heavily modified M1A

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Type 59 Tank by NORINCO

The Type 59 was fielded with a 100mm main gun with later models being seen with a laser rangefinder mounted atop the gun. Both commander and loader were given cupola positions with the loader operating the heavy caliber 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun mounted in the turret. The commander was also given a smaller caliber 7.62mm machine gun for anti-personnel use. Still another 7.62mm machine gun was mounted in a fixed forward coaxial position, this one operated by the gunner. The driver sat front left and some ready-to-use ammunition was sported to his right. Smoke could be generated by introducing raw diesel fuel into the exhaust, thusly no smoke grenades are mounted.

The Type 59 was nothing more than a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-54 main battle tank. The NORINCO-produced Type 59 was actually based on the purchase and subsequent local licensed production of the Soviet T-54 main battle tank (just redesignated as the Type 59 in Chinese service). The system, at least externally, was identical to the Soviet-era design though the inner workings were customized to Chinese specifications.

The Type 59 chassis produced a series of variants, showing off the versatility of the base system. Variants included improved Type 59 models, armored recovery vehicles and models featuring explosive reactive armor for added crew protection.

Glock 19 with storage case

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

T-72 Main Battle Tank

Ruger SR 556

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

AK variant with modern attachments

Noveske V3

T62A

FN Herstal Five-Seven

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank

S&W 1917 .45 ACP

Leopard 2 Version A7 & A4

MiG-21 Lancer C

AR Series Assault Rifle

T10 Heavy Tank

Sig P220

SCAR H Assault Rifle

Double barrel 1911

Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only fixed wing aircraft carrier

After the war the Soviet Navy saw how the aircraft carrier played a pivotal role in defeating Japan. In 1945 the Soviets drafted plans to construct a new class of carriers by the 1950’s. With Stalin’s death in 1953, Khrushchev took over the Soviet state and announced deep military cuts. The plans to construct a new class of carriers were stopped by Khrushchev feeling that a nuclear strike would eliminate a carrier as a viable weapon so the carrier program became a prime target for cancellation.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is the only ship in her class, as her sister ship Varyag was never completed. Do to historical and political considerations carrier development got off to a slow start in the Soviet Union. The debate over large decked carriers has been ongoing for decades starting the 1930’s with Stalin; however two carriers were planned but cancelled with the start of WW II with the ground war being the major consideration.

In the early 1960’s when the Brezhnev regime took over, the carrier became a reality with the Moskva and the Leningrad built between 1965 and 1968. However they were not true aircraft carriers supported only with helicopters, no fixed wing aircraft. This concept was one of antisubmarine vessels used as a weapon suite that protected against the American nuclear submarine threat. Again the compromise between the anti sub and fleet protection was the Kiev CVHG class in 1975, both were helicopter vessels. Arguments between the government and the military continued but the day of the true Soviet aircraft carrier was at hand in 1991 with the Kuznetsov CV class aircraft carrier.

Admiral Kuznetsov was first named “Riga” for the city of then “Leonid Brezhnev”, next was “Tbilisi” also a Russian city. Her classification was changed from “CV”, aircraft carrier, to “TAVKR”, or heavy aircraft carrying cruiser. The reason for the name change was the Montreaux Convention in 1936 stated an aircraft carrier CV could not pass through the Dardanelles. Russia’s carriers are built on the Black Sea making this an international issue when the time came for the ships to enter the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.

She is conventionally powered and has a mixture of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. The carrier’s main fixed-wing aircraft is the multirole Su-33. The air groups can perform air superiority, fleet defense, and air support missions. Also on board are twin seats Su-27, which are used for pilot training along with the Su-25UTG. The carrier also carries the Kamov Ka-27 and Ka-31 helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and troop transport.

Currently Admiral Kuznetsov is the only Russian fixed wing carrier in service. Her sister ship, Varyag was launched in 1988 but never completed. Some reports indicate is she is to be sold to the Peoples Republic of China another report says she will become a floating hotel. She is reported to be moored at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine. Navy officials indicated due to her material condition she will never go to sea.

Fixed wing aircraft taking off from the Admiral utilize a ski-jump on the front of the flight deck. Aircraft accelerate up the ski-jump using their afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the flight deck at a modestly higher angle and elevation than on an comparable American aircraft carrier with their flat deck and steam catapults. The ski-jump creates less G-force on the pilot because the acceleration is lower. The result is a takeoff speed of only 120-140 km/h requiring an aircraft engine that will not stall at low speeds.

The Russian Navy has indicated they will continue to be committed to aircraft carrier development based on the US Navy model. This is easy to say however it will require massive funds, technology and additional trained naval personnel currently not available. Also the Khrushchev mind set has not completely gone away with the cost of the USN model and anti-ship missiles making a carrier an easy target in a conflict. Another issue is the additional cost of the carrier fleet to protect the carrier. Some in Moscow feel this is not a good argument due to Russian ships having a weapons suite of SSM/SAM missiles on board for air threat protection. The expansion of a Russian carrier fleet is bleak at best. However the desire to provide political forward presence like the visit to Venezuela on 11/25/08 and Cuba in early 2009 is a top priority. The future of the Kuznetsov is problematic with parts becoming an issue and refits scheduled closer together. The Russian government feels she will be in service till 2030, being the only carrier supporting fixed wing aircraft. Another problem for the military will be to maintain her aged aircraft.

Douglas A-1 Skyraider

M16 with wooden stocks

Mikoyan MiG-9

LWRC M6A2 SPR in 5.56x45mm with silencer

Assault Rifle

Armalite AR-10(T)

Zastava M84A Skorpion

Calico M951

T-33 Jet Trainer

Walther P5 with decorative handle

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

Winchester Model 71 (Custom Deluxe)