This small discussion was started in the PLAN aircraft carrier program topic, and i've been told it's been done before- unsurprisingly.
http://www.sinodefenceforum.com/navy/plan-aircraft-carrier-programme-news-views-113-6479.html
Hopefully the off topic replies there concerning Kiev and Minsk will be attached here, basically the general consensus is that they would have been largely unsuitable to convert to full STOBAR carriers (cost reasons, workload reasons etc.). Which leads me to my last inquiry, hypothetically could they have been of any use as dedicated ASW/AAW/helicopter carriers of sorts, or even refurbished and modernized as is (missile carrying helicopter cruisers?), perhaps serving together with the Sovremennys? Certainly, two 40,000 tons ships armed to the teeth with supersonic AShMs is nothing to trifle at.
I realize that of course the development of PLAN took a different course, obviously the chinese leadership and military did not thought worthwhile to keep/ extensively modify these ships, and obviously they knew what they're doing.
But still what might have beens like these are always something interesting to ruminate now and then. Thanks.
http://www.sinodefenceforum.com/navy/plan-aircraft-carrier-programme-news-views-113-6479.html
Hopefully the off topic replies there concerning Kiev and Minsk will be attached here, basically the general consensus is that they would have been largely unsuitable to convert to full STOBAR carriers (cost reasons, workload reasons etc.). Which leads me to my last inquiry, hypothetically could they have been of any use as dedicated ASW/AAW/helicopter carriers of sorts, or even refurbished and modernized as is (missile carrying helicopter cruisers?), perhaps serving together with the Sovremennys? Certainly, two 40,000 tons ships armed to the teeth with supersonic AShMs is nothing to trifle at.
I realize that of course the development of PLAN took a different course, obviously the chinese leadership and military did not thought worthwhile to keep/ extensively modify these ships, and obviously they knew what they're doing.
But still what might have beens like these are always something interesting to ruminate now and then. Thanks.