Chapter 193 Sea and Air Control

"Report to the Marshal, report to the General, the Kiev aircraft carrier has completed its ocean voyage and now requests to join the Pacific Fleet." Captain Bykovsky said loudly.

"Welcome to join the Pacific Fleet. We need this most powerful Soviet warship." General Duarte said: "Our warship will use its missiles and aircraft to prove our combat effectiveness to the West and write a new chapter for our navy."

General Durte's energetic words spread throughout the entire aircraft carrier deck. The naval soldiers who were reviewed were all in high spirits. They came from afar just to fight the Americans!

The bridge is too large, occupying almost the entire middle length of the aircraft carrier. Such a huge bridge wastes a lot of space on the deck. Otherwise, more carrier-based aircraft can be docked. The efficiency of lifting carrier-based aircraft out from the hangar and directly from the parking space on the deck is absolutely different.

Andre followed a group of senior officials and inspected the warship. Unlike everyone who was complacent, Andre felt a little dissatisfied in his heart.

The function of an aircraft carrier is to take off and land carrier-based aircraft. Without air superiority, there is no sea superiority. This view has been confirmed in the World War II era. Battleships have long since withdrawn from the stage of history. Only by owning aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft can one have maritime hegemony.

However, the Kiev was not built with this idea in mind. This warship is called a heavy aircraft carrier cruiser, and it is not wrong to call it that. Carrier-based aircraft are just one of its combat weapons. The front deck has been occupied by a large number of missiles, and the space under the deck is also full. Unlike Western aircraft carriers that require a large number of escort warships, this warship alone can perform any combat mission. In addition to its powerful air defense capabilities, this warship also has a strong anti-ship capability. The large missiles on the bow of the warship are gifts specially prepared for American aircraft carriers.

The entire warship is full of Soviet characteristics. Even the later Varyag with a full-deck has anti-ship missile launchers under the front end of the deck, occupying a lot of space.

"This is the most powerful warship of our Soviet Union!" After inspecting the ship, Admiral Gorshkov finally stood in the command room of the bridge, looking at the weapons at the front of the deck and the aircraft landing platform on the side. He felt extremely proud.

"Yes, with this aircraft carrier, our Pacific Fleet can cruise within 500 nautical miles east of Hokkaido, guard our maritime defense line, disperse the American aircraft carrier formation, and prevent them from effectively providing support over Hokkaido." Fleet Aviation Commander Vice Admiral Goorgi Pavlov said proudly.

The mission of the Kiev was to hold back the US aircraft carrier fleet so that they would have no time to support the air force. For the Far East Military District, the American air threat was manageable, but adding the carrier-based aircraft of the two aircraft carrier fleets, especially the Tomcat fighters that could threaten the MiG-25 at any time, was enough to give them a headache.

"Unfortunately, our navy is still unable to fight independently without the protection of shore-based aviation." At this moment, a voice was heard from the crowd.

At this critical moment, it is very irrational to pour cold water on everyone, but Andre knows that he must bring up what needs to be brought up now. It is not too late to change direction now! Although his position is not high enough and these people in front of him will not completely believe in him, he must say everything he needs to say!

Marshal Gorshkov looked around and saw the young major general. The words just now were said by Andrei!

Just a few days ago, Andrei was finally awarded the rank of major general and became a dazzling new star in the Far East Military Region. He became a general at the age of just over twenties, which is quite rare since the birth of the Soviet Red Army. Andrei's future is limitless.

Gorshkov also had a deep understanding of Andrei. It can be said that the breakthrough made by the Soviet Union in the Far East was mainly due to Andrei. Although this person came from the Air Defense Force, he was an all-rounder. It was said that the tank development department of the Army developed a new armor-piercing projectile according to Andrei's proposal, and the effect was amazing.

Now, Andrei's words immediately aroused the interest of Marshal Gorshkov: "Andrei, tell me."

"Seventy percent of our planet is covered by the sea. Whoever controls the sea controls the world." Andre said, "This is Mahan's theory of sea power. After two world wars and hundreds of years of fighting, this has been recognized as axiom. Back then, it was with its huge fleet that Britain conquered the world and became the empire on which the sun never sets. In World War II, the United States ultimately won because of its huge fleet. Now, we, the Soviet Union, must also have a world-class navy to truly compete with the United States."

"Yes, that's it!" Gorshkov said, patting his thigh as he sat on a chair next to the nautical chart.

In the Soviet Union, competition among various military branches was the most intense. The Soviet Union had a vast landmass and had always been a continentalist. The navy was not taken seriously. Gorshkov, who came from the navy, of course hoped that the navy could play a leading role. Now, Andrei's statement was exactly what Gorshkov wanted.

"In World War I, we relied on battleships, but in World War II, battleships had already withdrawn from the stage of history, and were replaced by aircraft carriers, because only by gaining air superiority can we gain sea superiority." Andre said: "And to gain air superiority, we must rely on powerful carrier-based aircraft! The US aircraft carrier fleet is a living example. Their current fleet of two aircraft carriers is overwhelming us."

Powerful carrier-based aircraft! Andrei put forward his own point of view. The current Kiev-class aircraft carrier is purely useless! Tens of thousands of tons of displacement are wasted, just carrying a few short-legged blacksmiths. Moreover, various problems have been emerging one after another. In the end, these short-legged blacksmiths could not serve on the warship. Back on shore, the Kiev-class aircraft carrier became a helicopter carrier again, carrying only anti-submarine helicopters.

The Soviet Navy mainly relies on shore-based aviation, so the navy can only operate within the combat radius of the shore-based aviation. This greatly limits the navy's actions. If it wants to become an ocean navy, it must rely on a powerful aircraft carrier formation!