“Strange device” on Molniya 1241 missile ship.RE Vietnam

Molniya 1241.RE fast attack missile boats are the first modern warships of the Vietnam Navy. We received a total of 4 of these ships in the early 2000s to supplement the combat power of 8 relatively old Osa IIs.

Compared to Molniya 1241.8, Molniya 1241.RE has a slightly smaller displacement, only 480 tons when fully loaded.

The weapons of this class of ship are also simpler, equipped with only 4 P-15 Termit anti-ship cruise missiles whose tactical and technical features are not equal to the Kh-35 Uran-E.

Regarding electronic equipment, Molniya 1241.RE uses Garpun-Bal surface reconnaissance radar located on top of the radar tower to obtain guidance parameters for P-15 missiles, along with MR-123 Vympel radar to control the firepower of AK-176 and AK-630 guns.

With the above weapon and equipment configuration, it is clear that the four Molniya 1241.REs need to be upgraded and modernized to better meet the requirements of modern warfare.

There have been proposals to replace the slow, large, and poorly maneuverable P-15 Termit missile with the much more powerful Uran-E or even the Yakhont or BrahMos.

However, when financial and technical conditions do not allow, we have temporarily made some small improvements.

In the published image, it is easy to see that a "strange" white device has been integrated into the Molniya 1241.RE ships of the Vietnam Navy. This equipment is located right on the roof of the command cabin, below the MR-123 Vympel artillery fire control radar.

This device is most likely a communications device connected to a satellite (English name is Communications Satellite, sometimes abbreviated as SATCOM).

In fact, Vietnam's work to equip surface ships with SATCOM equipment has been underway since last year, starting with the pair of Gepard 3.9 missile frigates numbered 011 and 012.

The photo above clearly shows the SATCOM device circled in red. This equipment is considered to be a product that Vietnam "customized" itself, as it is not found on the original Russian ship.

Thanks to SATCOM equipment and VinaSAT 1 satellite, along with VNREDSat-1 remote sensing satellite, surface warships operating far from base can transmit images directly from the ship to the command post, providing high-resolution remote sensing images to report the situation and receive direct instructions.

It is predicted that in the near future, this domestic SATCOM device will be integrated into many other ships of the Vietnam Navy, both warships and research or logistics ships...