Russia will begin designing an advanced aircraft carrier for its Navy not until 2020, a source in the shipbuilding industry told TASS on Thursday.

“This work is currently underway. The actual design work will start in 2020. According to the currently existing plans, the aircraft carrier will be created in the third decade of the 21st century. The vessel design will begin in 2020, and it will be built before 2030,” the source said.

“It’s logical, if we analyze the military shipbuilding over the last 20 years … Everything fits in the principle from small things to large, as over these two decades it was necessary to create new production capacities and modernize the old ones, which will enable us by 2030 to build large ships”, he said.

The Russian Navy said previously that the Russian fleet expected to get an advanced aircraft carrier with a nuclear power unit by the end of 2030.

They are fairly good and a decision on the aircraft carrier will be made closer to 2025,” he said.

As of today, the Russian Navy operates the sole heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Head of the Russian Navy Shipbuilding Department Vladimir Tryapichnikov said in January this year the Russian Navy expected to receive an advanced aircraft carrier with a nuclear power unit by late 2030.

The Krylov State Research Center (shipbuilding research and development institute) previously announced the development of a heavy aircraft carrier of Project 23000E Storm with a displacement of up to 100,000 tons and an air group comprising 80-90 aircraft.