The tweet below has been circulating supposedly comparing the Kuznetsov’s dilapidated boilers to the Indian carrier INS Vikramaditya , which was built-out to a similar configuration as the Admiral Kuznetsov from an existing Kiev class aircraft carrying missile cruiser , the same type that the Kuznetsov class’s design originally evolved from. India’s acquisition of the ship from Russia took far more money and time to complete than originally planned, but Russia eventually delivered the ship in late 2013.

The third picture in the tweet is of the same sort boiler setup, as seen on China’s only carrier the Liaoning. The vessel, which is Admiral Kuznetsov sister ship, was bought from Ukraine as a rusted hulk to be used as a hotel and casino, but that was just a cover story and China totally refurbished the ship and reverse engineered much of its design in the process. As you can see, the difference in quality of each engine room is stark.

The rusted hulk that was once the Kuznetsov's sister ship, the Varyag, seen dockside in China before its transformation into the Liaoning.

Admiral Kuznetsov was supposed to undergo a deep overhaul and refit after its last deployment but that was delayed till 2018, instead the ship got a light refresh before being sent out to sea. This delay was enacted largely so that the ship could participate in the Syrian air campaign and show off its new air wing capabilities in the form of MiG-29KRs and KA-52Ks. One MiG has since crashed and it seems the bulk of the operations, including bombing sorties , are being executed by the slightly upgraded Su-33s at this time.

Now the ship’s overhaul in imminent, and there has been some information on what it could entail, although nothing can be certain at this point. From my previous feature detailing the carrier’s history and design:

“Whether the P-700 missile tubes are still active and filled with live rounds is unknown. It’s possible, as the ship is slated to go through a much deeper refit when it returns from its Syrian deployment. On its return home this capability will most likely be removed, once and for all, with new hangar space making room for theKuznetsov’s modernized air wing that will increasingly be made up of MiG-29KR strike fighters and KA-52K attack helicopters.

Other improvements slated for the ship during its deep refit are rumored to include new gas turbines, replacing the dated boiler system that has plagued the ship’s reliability for years. New missile defense systems, including medium-range surface-to-air missiles and a navalized version of the Pantsir point defense system would be added. New communications systems and sensors would also replace long-obsolete ones.”

In the meantime, the ship will continue operations off Syria’s coast, as this pretty sweet 360 degree video released by Russian media highlights: