Vietnam turns Igla into ship-based air defense missile

In a recent report on the anti-submarine brigade, QPVN channel broadcast images showing the appearance of an anti-aircraft missile launcher on the anti-submarine frigate Petya.

From these images, it can be seen that Vietnam has upgraded and installed additional missiles to increase the defensive firepower of the Petya anti-submarine ship to meet the task of protecting the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

This missile system basically consists of a launcher with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile tubes using separate infrared seekers. Therefore, they basically do not depend on the radar of the warship but operate independently, detect targets and destroy themselves.

Although the weapons equipped on the Petya ship's launcher have not been revealed, the published images show that the shoulder-fired missiles that can be mounted on the rack include the 9K32 Strela-2 or Igla. Currently, Vietnam has produced both of these shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

Igla or full name 9K38 Igla is a low-altitude shoulder-fired air defense missile system (NATO designation SA-18 Grouse) developed by the Soviet KBM design bureau in the early 1980s.

This missile was officially accepted into service in the Soviet armed forces in 1983. It has been exported to about 20-30 countries around the world and has been highly effective in several armed conflicts.

The entire Igla missile complex in combat weighs about 17.9kg, with the missile warhead weighing 10.8kg (equipped with a 1.17kg explosive fragmentation warhead) equipped with an improved infrared seeker capable of dealing with interference measures of enemy fighter aircraft.

In particular, the Igla's seeker increases the ability to intercept targets in the front hemisphere in addition to the ability to track the rear hemisphere - or the engine part - the location with the strongest heat. The Igla missile complex can take down targets at a distance of up to 5.2km, at an altitude of 3.5-4km.

Along with the upgrade package with air defense missiles, Vietnam is also said to have successfully implemented a series of new upgrade packages with the Petya warship, including replacing the old generation radar display screen with a liquid crystal display.

And according to Daily News in mid-2016, Vietnam cooperated with India to replace the sonar system to enhance the anti-submarine warfare power of this no longer new class of warship.