Vietnamese Navy Receives First Stealth Frigate

Aviation Week ^ | 3/18/2011 | M Pyadushkin

[sukhoi-30mki]

Vietnamese Navy Receives First Stealth Frigate

Posted by M Pyadushkin at 3/18/2011 8:47 AM CDT

On March 5 the Vietnamese Navy officially took into service the first Gepard class frigate. The ship named after the first Vietnamese emperor Dinh Tien Hoang is built in Russia by Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant under the contract for two ships of the class inked in December 2010. The second frigate built for Vietnam has been in sea trials since August 2010.

Credit - Zelenodolsk plant

Vietnam became the first foreign customer for the Gepard class (Russian project Gepard 3.9), an export version of Russian project 11611 frigates. These frigates are designed for maritime patrol and border control operations. The Russian Navy has operated the launch ship of this project – Tatarstan in the Caspian fleet since 2003. In 2011 they are expected to get one more frigate – Dagestan – that is reportedly being built under an improved 11661K project. Zelenodolsk plant is reportedly assembling one more ship for the Russian Navy, but its major efforts have been focused at implementation of the Vietnamese contract so far.

Gepard frigate during sea trials (credits - Zelenodolsk plant)

The Gepard class ships have a stealth-shaped hull with a full displacement of about 2,100 tons and their cruising endurance is 5000 nautical miles. These frigates are armed with Kh-35E anti-ship missiles, the Osa-M air defense missile system, 76.3 mm and 30mm artillery guns, 533-mm torpedoes and antisubmarine mortars. Zelenodolsk plant reported that the Vietnamese ships received more fuel-efficient diesel engine instead of the gas turbine powerplant of the 1661 project frigates. Due to some improvements with the diesel, its speed grew to 21 knots (compared with the design of 18 knots).

[null and void]

Good looking ship.

[Puppage]

Good looking ship.

Well, it's not as good looking or stealthy as this one:

[Pecos]

It's a bit embarrassing that Aviation Week would publish those pictures and use the word “stealth” to describe the ship.

[Pecos]

Your link is missing.

[Puppage]

Your link is missing.

Stealth?

Stealth =

Never mind

[blueunicorn6]

They put one of those new-fangled diesel engines in for when there’s no wind for the sails. It’s also got those high-tech cannons that load from the front.

[edcoil]

Who is Vietnam at war with to need a Navy with this capability?

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

They're not at war with anybody right now. The correct question, though, is who are they worried about? Who is their traditional enemy going back a thousand years? With whom did they fight a war that cost Vietnam 100,000 lives in 1979? Who is their rival for control of potential offshore oil deposits?

China.

[bjc]

21 Knots for a frigate!! I seriously doubt it. That seems off by almost 50%. Somebody is blowing smoke.

[dfwgator]

Yes, Vietnam panicked after the fall of the Soviet Union, so much so, they were desperate to bring the US back to Cam Ranh Bay, out of fear of China.

[null and void]

Wow! That is stealthy!

[dfwgator]

I don’t see it.

[hosepipe]

You would think the Vietnamese Navy would WANT TO BE SEEN...
Not to be UNSEEN... what kind of threat is being UNSEEN?...

[dfwgator]

[hosepipe]

The Vietnamese Admiral that concocted this tactic must have a hat made of newspaper..

[NeverForgetBataan]

when the Chinese decide to enforce their claim on the Spratley islands, they will use those Ho-chi-cong frigates
for target preactice.

[hosepipe]

http://whimsy-girl.blogspot.com/2009/07/newspaper-hats.html

[Squantos]

Ya have to use barbless hooks at FR !...:o)

[Rich21IE]

I wouldn’t know..........I can’t see it in that picture.