The interview came after USC Vice President Igor Ponomarev said that the Admiral Kuznetsov will be upgraded in 2018 after returning from service.
He added that, "the Zvezdochka shipyard will embark on repairs aimed at the modernization of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier."
Fort Russ: Russian Su-33's based on Admiral Kuznetsov wipe out Al-Nusra commanders in #Idlib https://t.co/xIgzHcJQo5
— Fort Russ News (@Fort_Russ_News) 17 ноября 2016 г.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the carrier had begun taking part in anti-terrorist operations as part of Russia's naval task force in Syria.
Speaking to Rossiya 24, Alexey Rakhmanov said that preparations to modernize the Admiral Kuznetsov are under way and that "it will bring the vessel to a new level in terms of the control system."
At the same time, Rakhmanov said that the modernization will "unfortunately" not lead to any fundamental or conceptual changes in the vessel.
Touching upon remarks by those who saw the Admiral Kuznetsov belching black smoke on its way to Syria, Rakhmanov explained that the carrier's boilers run on oil which in turn "has a tendency to burn with the emission of a very large amount of soot."
He stressed that it does not particularly affect the carrier's combat capability and that a possible new generation of aircraft carriers will have a completely new propulsion system.
According to him, the Russian Defense Ministry will issue an open tender for the upgrade to the Admiral Kuznetsov.
The ship, designed to engage large surface targets and to protect maritime routes from enemy attacks, is capable of carrying between 41-52 fixed and rotary wing aircraft, including Su-25UTG and Su-33 fighter aircraft, as well as Ka-27 and Ka-29 anti-submarine and assault transport helicopters.
