Stealth missile ship missed appointment with Vietnam Navy
In the past, before building a series of Molniya 1241.8 fast attack missile boats, Vietnam was said to have intended to build the Catran class Project 20970.
Special enemy fighting tactics of Vietnamese missile boats
With unique fighting tactics and heavy weapons, Vietnam's Osa-II missile boat creates a fearsome force against enemies at sea.
These fast attack ships use P-15 Termit missiles which are slow, have short range, low maneuverability, and have low ammunition capacity per ship, making them vulnerable to long-range interception by the enemy during combat.
In addition, the Osa and Tarantul classes are also assessed to have outdated designs, incapable of scattering radar waves to approach enemy warships at closer range to launch missiles and retreat safely.
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| Catran-class fast attack missile boat model - Project 20970 |
In that situation, in parallel with the program of hiring Russia's Northern Design Institute to design the BPS-500 fast attack craft and KBO-2000 frigate, or evaluating the Molniya 1241.8 class, Vietnam also expressed interest in the Catran-class warship - Project 20970.
Catran-class fast attack missile boat - Project 20970 is a product of Almaz Design Bureau. The manufacturer offers 2 configurations for customers to choose from.
Depending on the specific design, the ship has a displacement of 280 - 290 tons, maximum speed of 35 - 42 nautical miles/h.
Armament includes 1 57mm naval gun or 1 30mm 6-barreled AK-306 cannon, 4-8 Kh-35 Uran-E anti-ship cruise missile launchers, air defense can be 1 Kashtan artillery-missile defense system or 8 Igla shoulder-fired missiles.
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| Another configuration of the Catran-class fast attack missile boat - Project 20970 |
After being introduced by Russia, there is information from Russia that Vietnam is very interested and wishes to manufacture this class of small fast attack missile ships with high stealth features to create the backbone of the defense force.
However, we later leaned towards the Molniya 1241.8 class, possibly because the Catran class has too small a displacement, low cruising range, and is not capable of operating far enough to reach the islands.
Besides, it is also possible that the experience from the BPS-500 Project has made Vietnam only choose weapons and equipment that have proven effective over a long period of operation, so the Catran class - Project 20970 was ignored because it is a new design, not comparable to the Molniya 1241.8 in all tactical specifications and reliability.
