The Nevskoe Design Bureau has introduced the new aircraft carrier concept for the Russian Navy.

It was said that the modular ship, called Varan, will be a platform with a floating runway, where automation and robotic systems will be used.

24 aircraft, six helicopters and up to 20 drones will be deployed on board. Varan, which is planned to have 45,000 tons of displacement, is 250 m long.

The Design Bureau said the ship would become a kind of centre for supporting all activities of Russia and allied countries in the Arctic.

It was underlined that Varan can be actively used in functions such as supporting transportation, rescue and military aviation activities, developing new gas fields in the northern seas, ensuring navigational safety of the Northern Sea Route.