Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
The Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrying cruiser, Soviet designation Project 1143.5, is a class of STOBAR aircraft carriers operated by the Russian and Chinese navies. Originally designed for the Soviet Navy, the Kuznetsov-class ships use a ski-jump for launching high-performance jet aircraft and arrestor gears for landing. The design represented a major advance in Soviet fleet aviation over the Kiev-class carriers, which do not have full-length flight deck and could only launch VSTOL aircraft. The Soviet Union's classification for the class was as a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, which permits the ships to transit the Turkish Straits without violating the Montreux Convention. However, the Chinese variants are classified as aircraft carriers.
Admiral Kuznetsov in 2017
A Su-33 on board Admiral Kuznetsov
Admiral Kuznetsov underway in 2012. The shadow of a Ka-27 is visible on the bow.
Liaoning in Hong Kong in 2017
STOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier, combining elements of "short take-off and vertical landing" (STOVL) with "catapult-assisted take-off, barrier-arrested recovery" (CATOBAR).
INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya with a ski-jump takeoff-ramp for STOBAR
Construction of the ski-jump on INS Vikramaditya