13.11.2009
Russia holds sales negotiations with Vietnam on diesel-electric subs, informed Friday RIA Novosti referring to Konstantin Biriulin, director of Federal agency for military and technical cooperation (FAMTC).
Terms and scope of delivery under prospective contract have not been defined yet. Russia has made all appropriate commercial proposals to Vietnam, specified the source.
According to him, Vietnam is a reliable partner since Soviet times and is of great importance for Russian party. It has multiply purchased Russian arms including eight Project 1241.8 missile boats, two Project 1166.1 escort ships and
Bastion coast-based missile antiship system, says
RIA Novosti.
Admiralteiskiye Verfi shipyard (St. Petersburg) may become an executor of $1.8 bln contract on construction six Project 636
Kilo-class submarines for Vietnam, said
Kommersant in April. According to the newspaper's sources, building of one or two subs will be probably assigned to
Sevmash (Severodvinsk).
Project 636
Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine was developed by
Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering. It constitutes an export variant of
Paltus Project 877
Kilo-class submarine. The subs of that project have being exported since 1986 and are in active roll of Indian, Polish, Algerian, Iranian, Romanian and Chinese Navies. They are considered the most silent subs. Surface displacement of these subs is 2 350 tonnes, length is 73.8 meters, draft is 6.2 meters, beam is 9.9 meters, speed is 20 knots, endurance is 45 days, crew is 52. Armament: six 533-mm torpedo tubes, 18 torpedoes or 24 mines (installation of antiship missiles
3M-54E and
3M-54E1 is possible instead of some torpedoes), MANPADS
Strela-3.
Source: RusNavy.com, photo: Kilo-class sub (fas.org)
