Vietnam's Kilo-class submarine launches Club-S for the first time.

A Kilo-class submarine of the Vietnamese Navy has successfully fired and destroyed a target for the first time using a 3M-54E missile from the Club-S system.

First firing

In the 7 PM news program on December 22nd on VTV1 channel, the Vietnamese Navy for the first time released images of a Kilo-class submarine launching cruise missiles from the Club-S system.

On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, Vietnam Television (VTV) broadcast a special report on the Vietnamese Naval Air Force, a clear testament to the growth, modernization, and professionalization of our military.

A scene of loading missiles onto a Vietnamese Kilo-class submarine.

After five years of development, the Naval Air Force has now become one of the mainstays, along with surface ships and submarines, in strengthening the protection of national sovereignty at sea.

Our naval air force's anti-submarine helicopters and seaplanes are working day and night to help bridge the gap between our strategically important islands in the open sea.

Besides introducing our Naval Air Force, the VTV report also showed a part of the Vietnamese Naval Missile Force, which are the fists of the sea, the deterrent power of our navy against hostile external forces.

Most notably, these include the 3M-54E cruise missiles, which are equipped on the modern Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines of the Vietnam People's Navy.

In addition, our navy's surface warships are also equipped with advanced anti-ship missiles, such as those on Gepard missile frigates or Molniya missile boats, which are the main warships of the Vietnamese Navy.

In the published report, the entire squadron of Vietnamese Molniya missile boats fired Uran-E anti-ship missiles, an export variant of the Russian Kh-35 anti-ship missile series. These missiles have an extended range of up to 300km and are equipped with a 145kg warhead. Each Molniya boat is equipped with up to 16 Uran-E launch tubes.

And at the end of the report are previously unreleased images of a drill involving the firing of 3M-54E missiles from the Club-S system of the Vietnamese Navy's most advanced submarine.

Multipurpose missile

According to published information, the 3M-54E missile of the Club-S system on Vietnam's Kilo-class ships can destroy multiple targets and render the enemy unable to defend themselves.

Launching a missile while a submarine is submerged requires two stages. During the submerged stage, the missile uses a high-pressure compressed air propulsion system to propel itself a few meters above the water's surface. Only then does the propulsion system begin burning fuel to initiate the launch process, similar to a conventional launch on land.

This launch mechanism requires updating launch position information to the computer system for confirmation before activation, especially regarding depth, because the missile needs to completely exit the water before it can ignite the propulsion engine.

The Russian manufacturer stated that the 3M-54E missiles of the Club-S system for Vietnam's Kilo-class submarines also operate on this principle. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2009, Vietnam signed a contract with Russia to purchase 40 3M-54E Club-S anti-ship cruise missiles.

The Club-S missile is a variant of the Club multi-purpose attack missile system designed for installation on attack submarines. The Club-S system is capable of firing missiles with varying destructive power and range, including:

The 3M-54E supersonic anti-ship missile has a range of 300km, a speed of Mach 2.9, and is fitted with a 200kg armor-piercing warhead. The 3M-14E land-attack cruise missile has a range of 275km and is fitted with a 400kg warhead. The 91RE1 anti-submarine missile has a range of 50km. The 91RE2 anti-submarine missile has a range of 40km...

The 3M-54E anti-ship missile weighs 2 tons, is launched from a 533 mm torpedo tube, and is fitted with a 200 kg warhead. This missile has a range of 300 km and travels at subsonic speeds. However, its speed in the final moments of flight can exceed 2,000 km/h.

The 3M-54E missile also has air-launched and surface-ship-launched versions. When the 3M-54E missile attacks a warship, its speed is increased during the final flight phase, making this type of missile particularly dangerous.

The final flight phase typically begins when the missile is about 15 km from its target. Before that, the missile maintains an altitude of around 30 meters. This makes the missile relatively difficult to detect. This characteristic, combined with the very high speed of the final flight phase, means the missile completes its final 15 km flight in less than 20 seconds. This makes it very difficult for existing anti-missile weapons to shoot it down.

According to Baodatviet