Will Vietnam's KCT-15 be equipped with Exocet's navigation technology?

A representative of the French defense group MBDA has left open the possibility of providing technology to manufacture Exocet anti-ship missiles to Vietnam.

Within the framework of the International Exhibition on National Security and Defense (Homeland Security Expo 2017) taking place from August 29 to 30 in Hanoi, when asked about the possibility of transferring Exocet missile production technology to Vietnam, Mr. Daniel Petit - Marketing Director of MBDA Group said:

"Everything is possible, we consider Vietnam a market with great potential for cooperation."

However, Mr. Daniel Petit did not forget to add that the final decision depends entirely on Vietnam's wishes, which is a meaningful statement.

French MM 40 Exocet Block III anti-ship cruise missile

It must be determined in advance that if customers want to buy the technology to produce a sophisticated weapon like the MM 40 Exocet Block III, they will certainly have to order a quantity of up to thousands of rounds.

In the case of Vietnam, currently Exocet Block III is only considered the main weapon of the Sigma 9814 frigate (if Vietnam is still determined to build), the number of orders is unlikely to reach 100, let alone thousands.

In the future, Vietnam probably has no intention of expanding the target users, when Molniya 1241.8 and Gepard 3.9 ships are equipped with Kh-35 Uran-E (can integrate KCT 15); on Kilo 636 is Klub-S; and shore missiles are still loyal to P-800 Yakhont or PJ-10 BrahMos.

So what are the prospects for France to sell Exocet anti-ship missile manufacturing technology to Vietnam?

KCT 15 anti-ship missile that Vietnam is researching and developing

However, if Vietnam does not buy the entire technology, it can still buy individual components. Let's refer to India's approach.

The BrahMos missile - a joint product with Russia - was supplied by Moscow with the engine and New Delhi developed the guidance system. However, India's limited expertise meant that the PJ-10's initial success rate was very low.

To quickly improve the situation, Indian Minister of State for Defense - Mr. Inderjit Rao Singh, during a meeting with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, asked Paris for technical assistance.

The results are very encouraging, the BrahMos's hit rate is now up to 100%.

Perhaps we should also refer to India's approach by importing Exocet missile guidance technology and integrating it into KCT 15. This will help speed up work progress and even help our missile possess more advantages than the original Kh-35.

This approach will make it easier for us to access Exocet technology than buying the entire system, while also keeping costs to an optimal level.

According to VOV