Vietnamese Gepard warship fires powerful weapons in the Black Sea.

According to Sputnik, the second pair of Gepard-class frigates of the Vietnamese Navy are testing their weapons at the firing range of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

This information was provided by the director of the Zelenodolsk shipyard, Renat Mistakhov, on March 24th while attending the LIMA-2017 exhibition. "One of the two Gepard 3.9 frigates currently undergoing testing has conducted test firing in the Black Sea Fleet area; the second is being prepared for firing," the director stated.

According to Renat Mistakhov, after completing these tests, the ships will be handed over to Vietnam. The testing of the two Gepard 3.9 ships was conducted at the firing range of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Although the director did not disclose the type of weapons tested on the Vietnamese Navy's Gepard-class warships, according to the principle of testing weapons before delivering any new warships or even fighter jets to customers, all equipped weapons are fired and accepted in sequence.

Vietnam's Gepard warship undergoes trials in the Black Sea.

And so, the weapon systems that were successively tested included: the AK-176M naval gun, two AK-630M rapid-fire guns, the Palma CIWS system, and 2x4 Uran-E/UE anti-ship missiles. Anti-submarine weapons were also fired. However, Russia has not yet announced which type of torpedoes are equipped on Vietnam's second pair of Gepard-class ships.

Along with the weapons, the testing included a radar system comprising: one Pozitiv-ME surveillance radar, one Minera-ME fire control radar, one 5P-10-03E Laska gun fire control radar, and one MR-231 navigation radar. The sonar equipment was mounted on the ship's hull.

Meanwhile, according to the official website of the Zelenodolsk Shipyard, the Gepard 3.9 vessels have a full-load displacement of 2,200 tons, an overall length of 102.4 m; a width of 14.4 m; a height of 7.25 m; a draft of approximately 5.6 m; and a maximum speed of approximately 29 knots.

The ship has a range of 4,000 nautical miles; the ability to operate independently for 20 consecutive days at sea and is operated by a crew of 84. In the future, not only Vietnam but also other Southeast Asian countries have a great opportunity to acquire this type of warship.

Specifically, at the LIMA 2017 exhibition (Malaysia), Russia showcased a model of the Gepard frigate. The exhibition brought together 512 defense companies (compared to 433 companies two years earlier), with 65 warships and 110 aircraft.

The Russian side had 18 companies participating with a booth area of ​​645m2, including a booth from the Zelenodolsk shipyard (where the Gepard warships for the Vietnam People's Navy are built).

Speaking about the future of the Gepard-class ships in the region, Renat Mistahov said that this model has attracted considerable interest from coastal and island nations in Southeast Asia.

According to Baodatviet