KBO-200 Project 1166.1E Vietnam
In 2004 Vietnam signed a deal with Russia for four Gepard Project 11661 frigates. Two were to be delivered from Russia and the other two were to be constructed in Vietnam. Rosoboronexport and Defense Ministry of Vietnam had been talking over the deal since 2003. The initial project set forth construction of Tiger corvettes by St. Petersburg Severnaya Verf shipbuilder, which is controlled by Mezhprombank. It took two years for Vietnam to study documentation before it rejected the corvettes on fears, a source involved in the talks said, that testing may fail to confirm the speed ability of the ships. Tiger still existed as a project version with not a single vessel finally constructed.
Project 1166.1 Gepard 3.9 class frigate is designed to engage surface ships, submarines and air targets, both independently and as part of a task force, as well as to perform escort and patrol tasks. The ship has a displacement of 2,000 tons, a length of 102 meters [330 feet], a maximum speed of 23 knots, a crew of 103 personnel and a cruising range of 5,000 miles. The frigate is armed with an Uran-E anti-ship missile system, a 76.2-mm gun mount AK-176M, a Palma air defense artillery system, two 30-mm gun mounts AK-630M and 533-mm torpedo tubes. It can carry a Ka-28 or a Ka-31 Helix naval helicopter.
In February 2006 it was reported that the Gepard project will be the first military export order for Zelenodolsk Shipyard since Soviet times. The Vietnamese had already agreed on the specifications of the ships, therefore it was thought that the contract may be signed even during the visit of the Russian officials to Vietnam.
The newspaper Kommersant insisted that the two ships to be built in Russia will not be based on the two unfinished hulls, standing since 1992. According to the anonymous source of the newspaper the construction will take place from scratch, laying down two renewed hulls. Gepard-3.9 was designed in early 1980s to fight submarines and surface ships and to destroy air targets. Upgraded Gepard will be constructed under the Stealth technology and equipped with modern armaments of Russia, including Palma-SU air defense system, Uran guided-missile system and Ka-28 ship-based helicopters. The upgraded Gepard for the Vietnamese Navy will use "newest Russian arms, which successfully passed tests and were allowed for export". Some claimed names are air defense complex Palma-SU with new optic-electronic system and the missile complex Uran. The tests of the latter were finished December 2005. The ship will have Ka-28 helicopter. There are some plans to replace standard gas turbines with more powerful engines.
In July 2007 it was reported that Zelenodolsk Shipyard held a solemn ceremony of laying down the head frigate of the project 11661 to be built for the Vietnamese Navy. Trade Attaché of the Embassy of Vietnam in Russian Federation Nguen Dag took part in the ceremony. He represented the company VASUKO, which serviced the arms deals between Russia and Vietnam. The head of the naval department of Rosoboronexport Victor Komarov pointed out that laying down the new frigate is a significant event not only in the history of the shipyard, but also for the entire Republic of Tatarstan. The ship designed by Zelenodolsk PKB was intended for a wide range of missions: searching and fighting against submarine, surface and air targets, patrol service, convoy operations and protection of the economic zone. The range of navigation is about 5000 miles, displacement - 2100 tons. Zelenodolsk Shipyard used to delivere the ships to Vietnam. Its patrol ships of the project 159 today protect the sea borders of Vietnam. Gepard-3.9 is a new page in the history of military shipbuilding. It is necessary to note that before construction of a military ship of this class lasted three - three and a half years. This contract will be fulfilled in 31 months.
It was reported in 2008 that Vietnam will get the first Russian-built "Gepard-3.9" patrol ship in 2009. The second one was scheduled for delivery in 2010, Director-General and Head Designer of the Zelenodolsk Design Office Leonid Sharapov stated. The delivery of Gepard-type warships to the naval market of Southeast Asia was achieved due to the vigorous marketing efforts of the "Rosoboronexport" company and of specialists from the foregoing design bureau. The contract, which "Rosoboronexport" had signed with the Vietnamese navy, envisages the construction of two more warships of this type. The licensed construction of "Gepard" warships on Vietnamese yards was not ruled out, too.
Shipbuilders in Russia's republic of Tatarstan floated out the second frigate for the Vietnamese Navy on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Zelenodolsk shipyard said 16 March 2010. "A second Gepard 3.9 class frigate for the Vietnamese Navy was floated out on Tuesday. The first frigate was to be delivered to Vietnam in October and the second by the end of this year," the spokesman said. Both ships would undergo sea trials in the Baltic Sea.
The first two frigates entered service with Vietnam’s navy in 2011. The second contract was signed in February 2013. Unlike the first two, the new frigates feature antisubmarine weapons and an advanced propulsion system. The first two Gepard frigates are equipped with the most modern missiles, and the second pair will be equipped with the most modern anti-submarine devices.
There are still no new marine gas turbine engines in Russia, without which the frigates “will not sail”. Probably for this reason, "Zelenodolsk plant them. In late 2019 Gorky (part of Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation) stopped negotiations with the Vietnamese Navy for the export of the third batch of Cheetahs, which took place one and a half to two years.
Russia and Sri Lanka were in discussions over a contract on the delivery of Gepard 3.9-class frigates to Colombo, the deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) told Sputnik 22 March 2017. An export version of Gepard-class Project 1166.1 frigates, Gepard 3.9 may be used in wartime to resist the engagement of enemy aircraft, ships and submarines; conduct escort missions; carry out of patrol duties; and provide fire support to landing missions and mine-laying. "The contract is currently at the stage of discussion," Mikhail Petukhov said at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition LIMA-2017 where he leads the Russian delegation.
Russia does not have gas turbine engines, without which the frigates “will not float”. Probably, for this reason, Zelenodolsk Shipyard (part of Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation JSC) stopped negotiations with Vietnam's Navy for the export of the third batch of Gepards, which took place one and a half to two years.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
