Third Kilo submarine to arrive in Vietnam in November

VietNamNet Bridge – The third diesel-electricity fueled submarine built by the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg for the Vietnam Navy will be delivered to the military port of Cam Ranh in November, according to the Russian news agency Interfax-AVN.

 

According to Interfax-AVN, Vietnamese sailors are practicing with the submarine at sea, which is the second training phase at sea. The first phase training took place from July 1 to 20 in the waters of Hogland Island.

 

“In the first phase, the submarine was in the water for 57 hours," Interfax-AVN said.

 

On August 20 the ship will return to the shipyard and will then return to sea 10 days later. It is expected to be delivered to Vietnam.

 

The fourth submarine in the contract to build six submarines for Vietnam is being tested at sea by the shipyard, while the fifth and the sixth ships are being built. The launch of the sixth ship is scheduled in September next year.

 

Besides building the submarines, Russia will help train Vietnamese sailors and provide equipment and technical supplies.

 

Varshavyanka (Kilo) submarines are the most advanced type in the contemporary world. The length of the vessel is 74 meters, and the width 10 meters. Their deepest submerging level is 300 meters, and they have an underwater speed of up to 37 km/h. The submarine can run automatically for 45 days and nights.

 

The Kilo submarines are equipped with the "Club" missile complex which is capable of projecting power at a distance of 300 km. The unique feature of this submarine is its extremely low noise. Western experts call Varshavyanka submarines the "black holes in the ocean."

 

Vietnam joins submarine arms race amid South China Sea tensions

Vietnam finally has a new weapon against the Chinese maritime expansion after receiving its first Kilo-class submarine from Russia on the last day of 2013, according to the Washington-based Strategy Page on Feb. 20.

 

The submarine is the first of six 2,300-tonne Kilo-class submarines to arrive in Vietnam after the country signed a US$2.1 billion deal with Russia in 2009. The submarines are likely to be based at Cam Ranh Bay, a deep water port located in southern Vietnam, Strategy Page said. The port was once used by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War, and later became a naval facility of the former Soviet Union.

 

A Kilo-class submarine is capable of carrying 18 torpedoes or SS-N-27 anti-ship missiles. The SS-N-27 can be launched underwater from the torpedo tubes and its range is estimated to be 300 kilometers. Combined with its quietness and Russian cruise missiles, the Kilo-class submarine is a very dangerous weapon against the surface combat vessels of the People's Liberation Army Navy operating in the disputed South China Sea, the report said.

 

Other nations such as North Korea, Iran and China have also imported Kilo-class submarines from Russia. China is said to have gone one step further, designing its own unlicensed version of the Kilo-class, known as the Type 41 Song-class submarine.

 

Vietnam was able to purchase the Russian-built submarines at a relatively low price, and they may not be equipped with air independent propulsion which would allow non-nuclear boats to stay underwater for weeks at a time, according to the Strategy Page.

 

Tensions between Hanoi and Beijing center around the disputed Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea, while Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to the area.

Vietnam’s 2nd Russian-made sub completes sea trials

The second Kilo-class submarine Vietnam agreed to buy from Russia has completed its sea trials and been returned to the shipyard where it was built, Russian news agency Interfax reported Tuesday.

 

The submarine named Ho Chi Minh City and built by Admiralty Shipyards of St. Petersburg undertook two dives, reaching a depth of 190 meters on one of them, reported Interfax.

The Ho Chi Minh City set off for its sea trials on April 28, four months after being launched. 

The training of the submarine’s Vietnamese crew will take place later this month.

According to Interfax’s sources, the third of the six submarines that Vietnam ordered from Russia, named after Vietnam’s port city of Hai Phong, will be launched at the end of this year, while the remaining three are still being built.

Vietnam signed a US$2 billion deal to buy six Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Moscow in December 2009, with Russia promising to deliver all of them by 2016. As part of the deal, Russia agreed to train the Vietnamese crew and supply Vietnam with necessary equipment.

The first sub, named after Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi, was launched in August 2012. 

It underwent 23 successful dives, according to an Interfax report in May.

The first two subs are scheduled to be handed over to Vietnam later this year.

Kilo-class subs, nicknamed “Black Holes” for their ability to prevent detection, are designed to carry out anti-submarine and anti-ship missions, general reconnaissance and patrols, according to a RIA Novosti report. They are thought to be among the world’s quietest diesel-electric powered subs.

Equipped with six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes, they can travel up to 9,600 kilometers without refueling; have a displacement capacity of 2,300 tons; and can reach depths of up to 350 meters. 

Vietnam has said it has purchased the Kilo-class subs and other armaments exclusively for self-defense purposes.

Vietnamese naval ships visit Zhanjiang

The Vietnamese naval taskforce consisting of the "Ly Thai To" and "Dinh Tien Hoang" guided missile frigates along with 200 officers and men led by Senior Captain Nguyen Duc Nho, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnamese Navy, arrived at the military port of Zhanjiang in south China's Guangdong province at 09:30 on June 25, 2013 for a four-day-long goodwill visit. Zhang Chuanshu, deputy chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN), Nguyen Van Tho, Vietnamese ambassador to China, and others were at the port to welcome the arriving Vietnamese naval taskforce.

During the visit in Zhanjiang, the officers and men of the PLAN and the Vietnamese Navy will visit each other's ships and hold a friendly soccer match. The personnel of the Vietnamese Navy will also visit the city and tourist attractions of Zhanjiang.

It is reported that the Vietnamese naval taskforce had joined with the "Hengyang" guided missile frigate and the "Huangshan" guided missile frigate of the PLAN to complete the 15th China-Vietnam Beibu Gulf joint patrol mission prior to the visit.

Both the "Ly Thai To" guided missile frigate with the designated hull number of HQ012 and the "Dinh Tien Hoang" guided missile frigate with the designated hull number of HQ011 belong to the "Gepard"-class guided missile frigates of the Vietnamese Navy, with a full-load displacement of 2,090 tons, length of 102 meters, width of 13.6 meters and a draft of 4.7 meters respectively. Built by Russia and entered into service in 2011, the two frigates are currently the most advanced warships of the Vietnamese Navy.