US provides Vietnam Coast Guard with 11 patrol boats

According to the latest news, the US will provide the Vietnam Coast Guard with 6 more patrol boats, bringing the total number of aid ships to Vietnam to 11.

US provides Vietnam Coast Guard with 6 additional patrol boats

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Vietnam-US relations, with the theme of March being “defense and security month”, Major Ly.V.Thang, Head of the Office of Defense Cooperation at the US Embassy, ​​announced that the US will provide 6 patrol boats to Vietnam in the near future.

Major Thang said that the US is not just giving 6 ships but will provide comprehensive and long-term support to the Vietnam Coast Guard. Currently, there are US experts here to ensure the US commitment to long-term support for Vietnam.

Currently, a number of Vietnamese officers are studying in the United States how to use these ships, so that when they return home, they can operate them effectively. At the same time, the US side also provides Vietnam with equipment and spare parts, or supports the construction of large repair and maintenance facilities.

US Coast Guard patrol boat

Major Thang expressed that in the field of maritime security, the United States will work closely with the Vietnam Coast Guard and the Vietnam People's Navy, contributing to enhancing Vietnam's law enforcement and search and rescue capabilities.

In the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the United States will coordinate to enhance Vietnam's disaster response capacity. In particular, this year the United States will allocate 5 million USD to support humanitarian relief activities.

It is known that in early February, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs, Mr. Puneet Talwar, also confirmed that the US had handed over 5 high-speed patrol boats to the Vietnam Coast Guard, in accordance with the aid commitment of Secretary of State John Kerry during his visit to Vietnam in late 2013.

At the same time, also in early February, the Vietnam Coast Guard received a used patrol ship donated by Japan named Syokaku (renamed CSB 6001), the first of three used ships that this country has promised to donate to Vietnam to improve the capacity of the Coast Guard.

In October 2014, the US announced a partial lifting of the ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam, which had been in place since the end of the Vietnam War. US State Department officials also said that the first step was decided to be for the two sides to aim at maritime security.

World newspapers say what Vietnam will buy from America?

Since the US partially lifted the ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam, there has been a lot of speculation about what weapons and equipment Vietnam will buy or what the US will provide Vietnam with?

According to ABC News and Defense News, in the context of China showing a tough stance on territorial disputes at sea and taking increasingly aggressive actions, overwhelming Southeast Asian countries in the East Sea, it is very likely that the US will increase "maritime security investment" for Vietnam.

US media believes that Vietnam will buy A-29 Super Tucano

Defense News in October 2014 also reported a rather strange piece of information: the maritime security cooperation package for Vietnam also included the A-29 Super Tucano propeller-driven fighter aircraft - a joint product of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company Embraer and the Sierra Nevada Corporation/SNC.

The Super Tucano is a propeller-driven fighter aircraft, slow speed (over 500km), low ceiling (under 10km), suitable for low-intensity combat, suitable for guerrilla warfare activities in mountainous areas or patrolling border areas and pilot training.

In addition, there is information that Vietnam may order unarmed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, whose main function is to hunt submarines. In addition, Vietnam may also buy Sea Hawk maritime patrol helicopters, researched and manufactured by the US aircraft company Sikorsky.

Bollinger Shipyards' Cyclone-class littoral patrol craft

Regarding maritime patrol vehicles, the partners that Vietnam can choose include Huntington Ingalls Marine Company along with Lockheed Martin Company - the enterprise that researches and manufactures US Navy patrol boats and the Austal shipyard.

However, American websites are leaning towards the possibility that Vietnam will cooperate with Bollinger Shipyards, because this enterprise is a manufacturer of Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships, with moderate displacement, suitable for Vietnam's requirements.

These ships have a displacement of 336 tons, length of 55m, width of 7.6m, height of 2.5m. The ship has a maximum speed of about 35 nautical miles/h (equivalent to 65km/h)m, maximum cruising range of 2500 nautical miles (equivalent to 4600km/h). The ship has a crew of 28 people (including 4 officers).

However, the above is only information published by foreign press, without confirmation from Vietnamese authorities.

According to baodatviet.vn