4K51 Rubezh System - Set of 3 shields of Vietnam's coast

According to Western assessment, with the 4K51 Rubezh, K-300P Bastion-P and 4K44B Redut-M complexes, the Vietnamese Navy has created a steel shield to defend the coast.

The 4K51 system was researched and produced by the Soviet Union. To this day, this weapon is still used by naval forces of many countries around the world, including Vietnam.

The 4K51 system has served in the Vietnam Navy for more than 30 years and has become an extremely powerful trio including Redut-M, 4K51 Rubezh and the K-300P Bastion-P complex to protect Vietnam's territorial sovereignty towards the East Sea.

Currently, the anti-infiltration warfare strategy by sea usually has 3 lines. Line 1 is the long-distance blocking force by ocean-going warships and submarines, combined with the air force; line 2 is patrol ships, small missile boats; and line 3 is the coastal defense force against the sea.

Vietnam Navy trains with the 4K51 Rubezh system.

But in reality, not every country has the conditions to build 3 defense lines from far to near. Building line 1 with heavy surface ships such as: frigates, destroyers, general support ships, electronic reconnaissance ships... is only suitable for countries with military strategies reaching out to the sea, moreover, these types of ships are too expensive.

For example, a heavy frigate with a displacement of 4,000 tons or more costs nearly 1 billion USD, a heavy destroyer also costs several billion, not to mention the cost of tens of billions of USD for an aircraft carrier.

Countries with weak surface naval forces and small defense budgets often prioritize the combined development of the second and third lines. The first line, that is, the ability to intercept far from shore, will be supplemented by the combat capabilities of air forces capable of anti-ship warfare, naval air forces, and conventional submarines (if any).

Vietnam is a country that follows the coastal defense model of strongly developing the 2nd and 3rd lines, while the 1st line does not focus on long-range surface combat ships, this task is mainly assigned to our air force and submarines. In fact, this is true because Vietnam does not have enough strength to pursue the trend of developing ocean-going combat ships.

In fact, in modern wars, the US often uses stealth aircraft and cruise missiles to attack enemy headquarters, combat command posts, early warning radar systems and fixed missile launchers, paralyzing command, control and defense systems.

This attack has been carefully studied by military planners around the world, especially the Russians, and they are looking for ways to counter it by focusing on developing mobility for offensive and defensive weapons, not giving the enemy a chance to destroy their weapon systems.

All anti-ship missile systems of the "Sea Shield Trio" have a unified orientation: not many but synchronized, leaning towards defense functions with the ability to intercept from far to near and have very high mobility when mounted on field transport chassis.

Vietnam's K-300P Bastion-P coastal defense system.

Immediately after launching the missile, the complexes continue to maneuver to a new combat position, making it impossible for the enemy's cruise missiles to identify their targets. Equipping mobile launch vehicles also creates conditions for building fake models to deceive the enemy.

The most outstanding point is that the command and control vehicles, radar vehicles, and missile launchers can operate far apart, which is very convenient for implementing the motto of "dispersed equipment, concentrated firepower". If hit, only a part of the vehicle will be damaged, not the entire system, so it is easy to replenish and quickly restore combat strength.

Another advantage is that all these systems have the same technical standards, so they can use the same observation data from coastal radars and target designation systems of reconnaissance aircraft, and warships can always ensure control of the sea area even when the radars of some systems are paralyzed.

When enemy warships approach the Vietnamese coast a few hundred kilometers, the three types of missiles mentioned above have different ranges, forming three layers of defense from near to far. Of which, the P-35 missile of the 4K44B Redut-M complex has a range of 450 km, forming a long-range defense line.

The P-800 Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missile of the K-300P Bastion-P system has a range of 300 km and extremely fast speed, which will shoot down warships that can cross the first line, forming a second line of defense; the P-15 Temit missile of the 4K51 Rubezh complex with a range of 80 km will destroy the survivors of the two devastating blows that are creeping closer to shore.

According to Baodatviet