Russia confirms completion of T-90 delivery to Vietnam
According to Russia's initial announcement, it will not be until the end of 2019 that Vietnam will receive the full number of T-90S/SK main battle tanks it ordered.
The contract to purchase T-90S main battle tanks (including the T-90SK command tank version) was signed by Vietnam with Russia in 2016, the quantity under the contract is 64 units, the financial source is taken from preferential credit that the other side provides to us.
By mid-2018, the first images of the T-90S completely assembled by the manufacturer UralVagonZavod appeared in the Russian press, showing that their configuration was equivalent to the domestic T-90A version currently in use by the Russian Army.
Although the condition of the above tanks suggests that they are 100% complete and ready for delivery, according to statements from Russian defense industry officials, the delivery is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
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| Vietnam's T-90 main battle tanks arrive at Chua Ve port - Hai Phong |
On January 1, 2019, the first images of the T-90S/SK main battle tanks that Vietnam ordered from Russia when they got off the transport ship to mark their tracks on the S-shaped strip of land appeared in many media outlets.
The first batch of T-90s was determined to include about 30 units, equivalent to half of the contract. At that time, there was an opinion that Vietnam could receive the full 64 tanks in the first few months of the year, not waiting until the end of the year.
As expected, by the end of February 2019, another group of T-90 tanks was transported by sea to Chua Ve port - Hai Phong before being brought back to the barracks by the specialized tank trailer KZKT-7428 Rusich.
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| Russia confirmed that it has fully delivered 64 T-90S/SK tanks to the Vietnam People's Army. |
In the latest development on March 26, 2019, Mr. Mikhail Petukhov - Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Military Cooperation Department, in an interview with domestic news agencies, confirmed the full handover of all T-90S/SK tanks under the contract to Vietnam.
With the above confirmation from Russian military officials, the Vietnam People's Army has enough T-90 main battle tanks to equip two battalions, this is truly a memorable milestone in the army's modernization process.
After receiving, it is expected that the tank crews will still need several months of intensive training to master their weapons and equipment before these T-90S/SKs will officially be put into combat readiness.
