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."

 

Crew of first Vietnamese submarine to make five 10-days sea voyages

The sea part of the training of the crew of the first Project 636 submarine built for the Vietnamese Navy has begun in the village of Svetly near Kaliningrad, a source in the Russian shipbuilding industry told Interfax-AVN.

"The theoretical, coastal part was followed by the sea part of the training, which includes five 10-days sea voyages," the source said.

"Since the beginning of the factory trials, which included tests by the customer's representatives, the first export series submarine has successfully conducted 23 dives," he said.

In 2013, the shipbuilding enterprise Admiralteiskiye Verfi will provide to the Vietnamese Navy the first two diesel electric Project 6363 Varshanyanka submarines of the six submarines envisioned by the contract, a source in the Russian defense industry told Interfax earlier. 

The contract for the supply of six diesel electric Project 6363 submarines was signed in 2009 during a visit to Moscow by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Besides, submarine construction, the contract envisions the training of Vietnamese crews and the supply of the needed equipment and technical property.

Project 6363 diesel electric submarines are third-generation submarines. These submarines have a good modernization potential that makes it possible to integrate new weapons, including the anti-ship missile system Club, which considerably expands the target area. 

A training center is created to train the crews of the Vietnamese submarines in Kamran with assistance from the ST. Petersburg OAO Concern NPO Avrora. 

The enterprise developed and created five systems for these submarines, specifically, the computerized information system Lama and the submarine management system Palladiy.

India receives retrofited sub INS Sindhurakshak

India's Russian-built submarine the INS Sindhurakshak arrived at its home port Mumbai after an overhaul including structural hull upgrades at the Zvezdochka shipyard.

The Sindhurakshak -- a Russian Type 877EKM submarine, Sindhughosh class for the Indian navy -- was constructed in Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg in 1997.

It's one of 10 Kilo class submarines constructed in Russia's shipyards for the Indian navy from 1985-2000, a report by TV-Novosti said in January.

Zvezdochka shipyard, in Severodvinsk, near Archangel on Russia's western Arctic Ocean coast, signed the retrofit deal in June 2010 and the submarine arrived the following August.

The overhaul and retrofit for the 2,300-ton vessel reportedly cost around $80 million, TV-Novosti said.

Work included overhaul of hull structures, installation of upgraded electronic warfare and weapons control systems, the mounting of Indian-made sonar USHUS and installation of CCS-MK radio communication systems.

 

The submarine was handed over to the Indian navy in Severodvinsk Jan. 26 -- India's Republic Day -- and immediately left for Mumbai, a report by Russia and Indian Report said.

The Sindhurakshak is armed with the latest export variant of the Russian-made submarine-specific Club-S multi-role cruise missile system capable of hitting targets more than 150 miles away, the RIR report said.

The Club-S, which has an 880-pound warhead, has improved effectiveness because of its active radar seeker system, the Args 14e designed by Radar MMS of St. Petersburg, a technical report by Defense Update said in 2006.

The Args system radar system kicks in around 12 miles from the missile's target to improve accuracy.

A Club-S can be launched from standard torpedo tubes at a depth of up to 130 feet, Defense Update said. It cruises towards the target initially at 70 feet above seal level and drops down to around 25 feet on final approach.

The Kilo class vessels can travel at around a maximum 20 mph at a depth of around 900 feet.

Zvezdochka also has modernized India's Kilo class submarines Sinduvir, Sindhuratna, Sindugosh and Sinduvijay submarines since 1997.

The shipyard expects to receive its next retrofit contract from India in 2014 or 2015, RIR said. It also will repair and upgrade the Sindukirti Kilo class submarine at the vessel's base in Visakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, India's Scorpene submarine project could face an 18-month delivery delay after the pullout of consultants from Spanish shipbuilding partner Navantia.

Mazagon Dock Ltd., the government shipbuilder in Mumbai where the vessels are being made, informed the navy that the project would be delayed by another 18 months to the end of 2016, a report by India's Times News Network said last month.

Delivery was expected sometime in 2015.

The Scorpene is a diesel-electric attack submarine with additional air-independent propulsion jointly developed by the French shipbuilder DCN -- now DCNS -- and Spain's Navantia.

The submarines were ordered in 2005 under a technology transfer agreement.