Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, will undergo upgrading process to accommodate MiG-29K single-seat and MiG-29KUB two-seat fighters, TASS reports Monday.

"MiG-29K/MiG-29KUB, Su-33 planes and some types of helicopters will be based on the warship. Some adjustments will be made precisely to accommodate MiG-29K/MiG-29KUB aircraft. Pilots want something new, something better and more reliable. Actually, the entire aircraft and technical compound of ship-borne systems will be modernised," Head of the Nevskoye Design Bureau (the developer of the warship’s modernisation project) Sergei Orlov was quoted as saying.

The Admiral Kuznestov-class was Russia's first attempt at a true aircraft carrier, which is also tailored for a defensive role. In addition to its aircraft, the carrier is equipped with 12 P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles housed in silos underneath its forward flight deck - making it the only carrier with this type of weaponry on board.

It's also armed with the Klinok air defence missile system, which carries almost 200 anti-air missiles, and it has 8 Kashstan air defence gun/missile systems that can fire up to 1,000 rounds of 30mm rounds a minute.

The trials of new generation 4++ MiG-29K/MiG-29KUB fighter jets aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov began in the summer of 2016. These planes were part of the warship’s air group during its voyage to Syria in 2016-2017.

In April 2018, a contract was signed for the aircraft carrier’s repairs and upgrade, which is expected to be done by 2021.