Vietnam successfully repaired its own submarine

A giant leap forward

This source said that as one of the key projects to build one of the largest shipyards in the entire army, Factory X52 - Naval Engineering Department has gradually taken shape.

Over the past two years, naval ship repairs have become routine. In 2017, nearly 20 ships were directly repaired. In addition, the factory also presided over the warranty repair of one submarine and technical maintenance of many other submarines, which is the premise for superiors to trust and assign more difficult tasks.

During the process of completing the facilities, technical experts were selected and sent for training at home and abroad. Technological and technical staff with experience in designing, researching, building and repairing ships were not afraid to take on difficult tasks.

The unit also closely coordinated with the Submarine Training Center of Brigade 189 so that engineers could grasp the equipment system on board.

With 3 out of 4 component projects nearly completed, Factory X52 is continuing to perfect the equipment system so that in 2019 it can bring submarines in for maintenance and repair according to the manufacturer's regulations right at the factory, instead of mobile repairs at the unit's port.

The immediate goal of Factory X52 is to confidently repair submarine items that require complexity, precision, and high level of expertise. Since the beginning of 2018, Factory X52 has identified actively preparing to repair and maintain submarines as an important strategic task that requires a roadmap and high determination.

The task also requires the cooperation of many factories and research institutes inside and outside the Navy with the highest goal of ensuring safety in training both on the sea surface and in the deep sea.

Fearsome power

Russian media has just made simultaneous comments on the strength of Vietnam's submarine fleet. According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the strength of the Vietnamese Navy's Kilo submarine fleet consists of 6 vessels, with the Club-S system as the main equipment.

According to this source, the Club-S's weapon is the 3M-54E missile included in the contract between the Vietnamese Navy and Russia signed in 2009 with a total of 40 missiles.

With only a modest number of 3M-54E missiles in its equipment, the Vietnamese Navy's fleet of 6 Kilo submarines is enough to make any enemy fear when confronting them.

Meanwhile, the Russian military forum Vk did not talk much about the weapon that the Kilo submarine had just fired, but focused on analyzing the special capabilities of this class of conventional submarines of Vietnam. According to Vk, the Kilo that Vietnam owns is one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world today.

With the capabilities of the Kilo submarine when combined with the Club-S system, the Vietnamese Navy possesses the region's leading submarine fleet. According to the Russian manufacturer's introduction, the Club-S system on Vietnam's Kilo submarine is capable of firing bullets with different destructive power and flight range including:

The 3M-54E supersonic anti-ship missile has a range of 300km, a flight speed of Mach 2.9, and is equipped with a 200kg armor-piercing warhead. The 3M-14E land-attack cruise missile has a range of 275km and is equipped 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 equipped with a 200 kg warhead. The range of this missile is 300 km at subsonic speed. However, the speed at the last minute of its flight phase can reach over 2,000 km/h.

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

The final flight phase usually begins when the missile is about 15 km from the target. Before that, the missile's flight altitude is kept at about 30 m. This makes the missile relatively difficult to detect.

This feature combined with the very high final flight speed. Therefore, when the missile completes the last 15 km flight in less than 20 seconds, the enemy's defense system has almost no time to react.