The former 'submarine killers' pair of the Vietnam Navy

In the past, Vietnam's anti-submarine aerial force was quite strong with Ka-25 helicopters and Be-12 fixed-wing aircraft.

According to the History of the Vietnam People's Air Force, on April 16, 1980, the Air Force Command decided to mobilize the entire MiG-19 (J-6) fighter squadron of Regiment 925, which was performing international duty in Cambodia, to return home.

The pilots of Regiment 925 were then assigned to study to convert to MiG-21 fighters, Kamov Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopters and Beriev Be-12 anti-submarine seaplanes.

In late 1980, the Air Force Commander decided to establish squadrons of Be-12 and Ka-25 anti-submarine aircraft belonging to Air Force Regiment 933 - Division 372.

In early 1981, 4 Be-12 anti-submarine seaplanes were transferred to Vietnam by the Soviet Union. Also in this year, we received 15 Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopters.

Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopter of the Soviet Navy

The Ka-25 Hormon was designed by Kamov in 1958, it uses a coaxial rotor to eliminate torque thus eliminating the need for a tail rotor. This compact structure is particularly suitable for deployment on warships.

The Ka-25 helicopter made its first flight on April 26, 1963, was officially launched in 1972 and was produced between 1965 and 1977 with a quantity of about 460 units.

The Ka-25 crew consists of 4 people; the aircraft is 9.75 m long; 5.37 m high; rotor diameter 15.74 m; empty weight 4,765 kg; maximum take-off weight 7,500 kg.

The engine installed for the Ka-25 is the Glushenkov GTD-3F 671 kW (900 hp) type for a maximum speed of 209 km/h; cruise speed of 193 km/h; operating range of 400 km; service ceiling of 3,350 m; weapon load of 1,900 kg including depth bombs or anti-submarine torpedoes.

Beriev Be-12 seaplane of the Russian Navy

Meanwhile, the Beriev Be-12 Chayka is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine amphibious aircraft developed by the Beriev Design Bureau in the late 1950s and officially entered service in 1963.

The Be-12 has wings shaped like those of an albatross, with small buoy-like craft at the tips that help maintain balance during takeoff and landing. The bottom of the buoy and the belly of the plane are tapered to help reduce water resistance during takeoff.

The tail of the aircraft has a three-pronged form with an extended tail section to accommodate the magnetic field detector, and two vertical tail fins, symmetrical to each other.

The Be-12 crew consists of 4 people, the plane is 30.11 m long; 7.94 m high, 29.84 m wingspan; empty weight 24,000 kg; maximum take-off weight 36,000 kg.

The turboprop engine equipped for the Be-12 is the Ivchenko Progress AI-20D with a capacity of 3,864 kW (5,180 horsepower) each, giving a maximum speed of 530 km/h; a range of 3,300 km; and a ceiling of 8,000 m.

The Be-12's electronic system includes navigation equipment, equipment to support landing in poor visibility and at night, and submarine detection systems including the Baku sonar and the APM-56 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD).

The Be-12 can carry up to 3,000 kg of weapons including: 450 and 533 mm AT-1 or AT-2 acoustic homing torpedoes along with depth bombs to attack enemy submarines.

Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopter and Shershen torpedo boat of the Vietnam Navy on a patrol

During use, the Ka-25 and Be-12 aircraft were continuously transferred from the Air Force to the Navy (April 1982) and then returned to the Air Force (June 25, 1984).

The entire Ka-25 and Be-12 fleet of Vietnam is believed to have stopped operating since the late 1980s. Currently we can only see the Ka-25s in museums, while the remaining Be-12s, according to some sources, have been returned to the Soviet Union.

According to Baodatviet