Vietnam Receives Sixth Russian-built Diesel-electric Submarine

Vietnam has received the last Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarine from Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport under 2009 contract.

The contract for the construction of a batch of six Project 636.1 submarines was worth about $2 billion. 

The submarine was transported from the Admiralty Wharves Shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwest Russia to Cam Ranh in central Vietnam with the use of the Netherlands’ heavy load carrier Rolldock Star, TASS reported. 

The ship will be unloaded and the submarine will be floated out within the next three days after all administrative procedures are completed and customs documentation is formalized. 

Today, the Vietnamese Navy operates the first four Project 636.1 submarines, in particular, the Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong and Da Nang.  The submarines delivered to Vietnam have all organic systems and are armed with the Club-S missile system with a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles). 

At the same time, Russia is building the second two Gepard-3.9-class missile frigates for the Vietnamese Navy.