MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Russia’s government-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) will have the full technological capability by the beginning of 2019 to start building helicopter carriers and aircraft carriers, the president of the corporation, Alexey Rakhmanov told Rossiya’24 news channel on Sunday.

"We’ll be ready to begin construction of helicopter carriers as well as aircraft carriers," he said.

"If you take up the technological capability for building aircraft carriers, we hope to acquire it by the beginning of 2019 as long as modernization works are completed," Rakhmanov said. "That’s the level of readiness that will enable us to say whether or not we’re prepared to build a large-tonnage ship, be it a commercial vessel or a naval ship."

He also stressed the sufficient capability of the personnel of shipyards in the Northwest of Russia, saying it allowed the USC to organize the transfer of ‘competences’ between the various constituent elements of the corporation.