Vietnam's new pair of Gepard-class ships possess a devastating offensive capability.

Russia's state-owned corporation Rostex announced that the third pair of Gepard-class ships that Vietnam is negotiating to purchase will be equipped with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles.

"Currently, the parties are discussing the construction of a third pair of Gepard 3.9 ships in Zelenodolsk for the Vietnamese Navy," a representative of the state-owned Rostex corporation said.

Previously, Vietnam ordered two Gepard 3.9-class frigates, equipped with Kh-35 UranE subsonic anti-ship missiles, which were delivered in full in 2012. Upon arrival in Vietnam, these two frigates were named after two Vietnamese emperors, Dinh Tien Hoang (number 011) and Ly Thai To (012).

The Gepard 3.9-class frigate is classified as a medium-sized corvette, designed by the Zelenodolsk shipyard, with a displacement of around 2000 tons, a maximum cruising range of approximately 5000 nautical miles, and a continuous operating time at sea of ​​45 days...

Vietnam's first pair of Gepard 3.9 warships.

In addition to the basic weapon systems of the first two ships, Vietnam's second pair of Gepard 3.9 frigates, currently under construction in Russia, will be equipped with enhanced anti-submarine warfare weapon systems, including sonar detection systems and new torpedo tubes.

After these two Gepard 3.9 ships are delivered and put into service, the Vietnamese Navy will have four missile frigates, with two specializing in anti-ship warfare and the other two having additional anti-submarine capabilities.

However, these missile boats only have point-of-flight air defense capabilities with a combat range of a mere 10km, lacking medium-range air defense capabilities and creating a significant operational gap when facing enemy fighter aircraft carrying long-range anti-ship missiles.

Therefore, while the second pair of Gepard 3.9 missile frigates (a specially commissioned anti-submarine version) are being fitted with weapons at the Zelenodolsk shipyard, the Vietnamese and Russian navies are continuing negotiations to purchase additional upgraded Gepard 3.9 missile frigates with more modern missile systems.

Although representatives from the Zelenodolsk shipyard did not disclose specifics about the type of missile that will be equipped on the next ships, experts predict it will be a new type of anti-ship missile, the Kh-35UE, which has a longer range and is more powerful than the Kh-35E missile currently used by Vietnam (range 260/130km).

Additionally, the ship can also be upgraded to use the Kalibr-NK cruise missile system (surface ship version) like the Russian Gepard-class ships, and the Shtil-1 shipborne air defense missile system (naval variant of the Buk-M1 medium-range air defense missile system).

The ongoing negotiations to purchase additional Gepard 3.9 missile boats, equipped with more modern weapon and missile systems, also indicate that, in the near future, the Vietnamese Navy will continue to expand its fleet size and enhance its combat capabilities.

In the near future, Vietnam will base its core force on the Russian Gepard 3.9 class warships, which are capable of multi-purpose operations such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and fleet air defense. Subsequently, it will continue to upgrade its capabilities with newer, more modern generations of warships.

According to Baodatviet