VietNamNet Bridge – Russian newswire Interfax has quoted the Director General of Admiralty Shipyard, Mr. Alexander Buzakov, as saying that the submarine, named Hai Phong HQ-184, will come to Vietnam in early December, but he did not reveal the exact date.
According to Interfax, the submarine Hai Phong completed the trial run off Kaliningrad this March. This is the 3rd of six submarines that Vietnam has ordered under a $2 billion contract signed between Vietnam and Russia in 2009, during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Moscow.
Buzakov also said that the fifth submarine in the contract, named Da Nang HQ 186, will be launched later this year.
Under this contract, Russia will transfer all six submarines to Vietnam before 2016.
The first two vessels, HQ-182 Hanoi and HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City, have been handed over to Vietnam. The HQ-182 Hanoi successfully made its maiden voyage on January 8, 2014. The second vessel docked at Cam Ranh Bay on March 19, 2014.
The multi purpose diesel-electric submarines of Project 636 belong to the third generation. They are considered one of the quietest in the world, and the submarines can cruise underwater at a speed of 20 knots and has a cruising range of 400 miles.
Tran Cham