Vietnam Defence Forum

[Soryu]

About the UAV , I think that our drone will mostly acting as scout and artillery spotter (like that VT-Patrol ) , armed UAV is hard to come by unless some countries provide us with atleast the lay out and a engine strong enough to take off with the armanent load

Vietnam has defense cooperation with Russia, Israel, and Sweden ..., they have technology that we need, and it's not so sensitive to transfer to us.

 

[Viet]

the first step is done. thank for the $10m US aid for unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance. I think the US must do more than just giving this small sum considering the huge casualty and damage the US caused. a package supporting the OA victims should be put on the table.



Vietnam signs UXO clearance aid pack with U.S. mine advisory group
English.news.cn 2015-05-18 23:12:35

Xinhua

HANOI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's central Quang Tri Province and the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) of the United States on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to carry out an unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance project in the province between 2015 and 2017.

According to the MoU, the U.S. State Department has pledged to sponsor 10 million U.S. dollars in aid for the province to disarm UXO left over from the war in Vietnam.

The project aims to reduce the risks of injuries caused by UXO while clearing contaminated areas and improving local livelihoods, reported Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA.

Quang Tri Province and the MAG will decide on the operational scale of UXO disarming teams and will adjust as necessary through each period of the project.

The two sides are expected to further their cooperation to ensure safe cultivative land for farmers and contribute to local socio-economic development, said Vice Chairman of the provincial people's committee Mai Thuc.

Local authorities pledged to facilitate the implementation of the project, he added.

Statistically, some 391,500 hectares of land in Quang Tri are contaminated due to UXOs, making up more than 83 percent of the provincial area. In 1996, Quang Tri was the first locality in Vietnam to receive global support in defusing bombs and mines.

 

[Viet]

anyone knows if the 2 Yugo class submarines are still operational?

 

[Viet]

40 years after ending of Vietnam war, still, 1,627 US servicemen are reported missing in action. unaccounted. this young guy, James W. Holt, 26 years old, killed in the battle of quang tri of 1968, now found a final resting place.

Vietnam War MIA Soldier buried at Arlington

Story by Lisa Ferdinando

Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Lewis presents a flag to the family of Master Sgt. James W. Holt, who went missing and was presumed killed in action during the Vietnam War. Holt, 26, of Hope, Ark., was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 14, 2015. (Army News Service photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

ARLINGTON, Va. - With full military honors, Master Sgt. James W. Holt, who was missing and presumed killed in action during the Vietnam War, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, May 14.

The flag-draped casket was carried on a caisson and escorted by Soldiers, from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). The solemn procession moved past the neat rows of white headstones before stopping at the burial site on a grassy hill overlooking the nation's capital.

Holt, 26, was assigned to Company C, 5th Special Forces Group. He was last seen, Feb. 7, 1968, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Survivors of the attack reported that Holt was manning a 106 mm recoilless rifle in a mortar pit near the camp of Lang Vei, when he depleted his ammunition destroying an enemy tank. The survivors also reported he was last seen running toward the ammunition bunker.

After the battle, Holt was reported as missing in action. A military review board later amended his status to presumed killed in action.

His remains were recently identified and returned to his family for burial.

SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE

The tribute to Holt included a colors team, the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own," and a firing party, which shot off three rifle volleys.

Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Lewis presented flags to Holt's widow, Linda Winslow, and daughters, Rebecca Holt and Jessica Holt. Capt. John Scott, chaplain, presided over the funeral.

Holt, who was from Hope, Arkansas, was laid to rest in Section 57.

REMAINS IDENTIFIED

Vietnam turned over remains believed to be those of a U.S. service member June 21, 1989. Due to the technology at that time, the remains could not be identified.

Scientists, from the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including two forms of DNA analysis, in the identification of Holt's remains.

According to the Department of Defense, 1,627 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

 

[Aqsuperman]

still rolling but mostly for training now , in emergencies will be used to deliver small Đặc Công units

 

[Viet]

May 19th. much faster than expected, the building and assembly of the 2 gepard class light frigates are complete. weapons are now installed. I assume the ships will set to sea trail this year. the firepower of our navy at sea will increase a lot once the warships patrol the south china sea.

edit: Vietnam negotiates with the shipyard of delivery of more gepards with more advanced missiles.

Russland beendet Bau von Fregatten für Vietnam und will mit Bangladesch kooperieren / Sputnik Deutschland - Nachrichten, Meinung, Radio

 

[Viet]

strong tie to Russia: both friend and partner.


Vietnam-Russia ties at an all-time high. Russian envoy
11:10 May 18, 2015 RBTH

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vasilievich Vnukov (L) at a media conference in Hanoi on May 13


Bilateral ties between Russia and Vietnam have reached an all-time high, Konstantin Vnukov, the Russian Ambassador in Hanoi said, according to the Viet News agency. He added that Vietnam is Russia’s only comprehensive strategic partner in the Asia-Pacific.

The ambassador said, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s attendance at the recent Victory Day celebrations in Moscow “is the most vivid manifestation of the two peoples’ friendship, mutual trust and understanding.”

He added that during Sang’s visit, Moscow and Ho Chi Minh City signed an agreement on strengthening cooperation in a wide range of fields, including technology, machine manufacturing, food technology, trade, and banking.

According to the report, Vnokov noted that the Vietnamese leader launched, via a TV link, a new complex of the Rusvietpetro, a joint venture between the Russian oil group of Zarubezhneft and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group. The complex is in the Nenets Autonomous region.

Speaking about defense cooperation, Vnukov said a contract was signed for the transfer of Russian submarines to Vietnam. He added that Russia is helping Vietnam train sailors to run the submarines.

- http://rbth.co.uk/news/2015/05/18/vietnam-russia_ties_at_an_all-time_high-_russian_envoy_46111.html)

 

[Viet]

there is report India faces ammunition shortage, the stockpile only lasts for 20 days of fighting. how about the situation in Vietnam? will the army face similar issue?

No. in normal scenario.

following the resolution 06 of the Politburo (Vietnam´s highest decision making body), the domestic fabrics can almost produce all kinds of ammunitions: 7,62, 9,0, 12,7, 14,5, 23, 30, 37, 57, 122, 130, 152 mm; caliber 60, 82, 100 mm; and anti tank missiles. the goal, for the next 5-10 years, is set to produce (cruise/balistic) missiles.

Z15 factory

Z131 factory

Z113 factory

 

[Viet]

I understand Vietnam has agreed in principle joining Glonass: Russia global positioning system, designed for both civil and military purposes. positioning accuracy is 3.5 metres and by 2020 it is to be improved to 60 centimetres.

negotiation on the price and radio stations to be built in Vietnam. one disadvantage of Glonass is user devices are bigger than of GPS. less handy.

TASS: Non-political - Russia negotiating placing GLONASS stations in China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam

 

[Viet]

fast patrol boat: Trường Sa CQ-01, built by X46 shipyard.
a donation from the Vietnamese community in Germany for the VCG.

VCG officials visit a stand of Singapore Technologies on IMDEX Asia 2015.

 

[Aqsuperman]

That's what we call a comparsion and info about domestic situaition , not a single word mocking, but you know about the saying that go like : "They understand what they want to understand" ? I see that there is bright example here keep up with the "beging"

 

[Transhumanist]

China’s Sea Aggression to Bring Vietnam, U.S. Closer, Says Osius

China’s territorial maneuvers in the contested South China Sea are bringing its Communist neighbor Vietnam and the U.S. closer together, according to the new ambassador to Vietnam, Ted Osius.

In his first interview with a Western news organization since arriving in December, Osius said human rights concerns remain an obstacle to even deeper ties that may lead to the lifting of a ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam. Even so, the former war foes are holding more high-level talks, particularly over how to manage tensions with China, he said in an interview on Thursday in Hanoi.

In recent weeks China’s Navy has followed a U.S. coastal combat ship in the South China Sea and warned a U.S. surveillance plane by radio, causing unease among other claimant states such as Vietnam and the Philippines. The U.S. and Vietnam both view China’s assertions in what is a major global shipping lane as a threat to their strategic interests.

“That has caused us to cooperate more closely than in the past,” Osius said at the ambassador’s residence. “It’s beneficial to both countries to have a strong partnership. We see the importance of powerful partnerships where our partners are more and more capable.”

China, which claims more than 80 percent of the South China Sea and has been building new islands on reefs in the waters, said last week it reserves the right to establish an Air Defense Identification Zone over the area. It placed an oil rig last May near the Paracel islands that are also claimed by Vietnam, triggering a diplomatic row and setting off violent anti-China protests in its neighbor.

‘Leave Immediately’

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday the country should be allowed to maintain security over islands it’s building in the waters. China is “entitled to the surveillance over related airspace and sea areas,” Hong said.

The Chinese navy issued eight warnings Wednesday to a U.S. P8-A Poseidon conducting surveillance flights over the islands, according to CNN, which was aboard the plane. A radio message received by the U.S. plane said: “This is Chinese navy. You are approaching our military alert zone. Leave immediately.” The P8 crew responded that the aircraft was flying through international airspace, CNN said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is scheduled to visit Vietnam at the end of May, during which military cooperation will be discussed, Osius said. Carter also will travel to the annual Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore, which is typically attended by senior Chinese military officers.

Vietnamese Visitors

The partnership between the U.S. and Vietnam “is deepening -- weekly, if not daily,” Osius said. “We have a huge amount of back and forth at the very highest levels. This year there will be five or maybe six politburo members going to the United States. We will have several cabinet officials and maybe an even bigger visit than that from the United States to Vietnam.”

Bilateral trade between the U.S. and Vietnam soared to $36 billion last year from $451 million in 1995, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. is providing Vietnam with six patrol boats, part of an $18 million military aid package, and last year lifted a decades-long ban on the sale of nonlethal weapons to the country.

“I expect there will be more assistance,” Osius said. “We are talking to the Vietnamese about what they need. It will be the Vietnamese who let us know what their greatest needs are, and we’ll see if we are able to respond.”

More than a dozen global defense contractors -- most of them based in the U.S. -- met last month with military officers in Vietnam to discuss the potential sale of equipment.

From China’s Sea Aggression to Bring Vietnam, U.S. Closer, Says Osius - Bloomberg Business

 

[Viet]

Su-30 pilots on patrol

 

[Viet]

May 21th: RIA Novosti (a russian news agency) reveals Vietnam negotiates of building of two new Gepard Frigates, equipped with the Kalibr-NK missile system: high precision missiles against surface, underwater and coastal targets, max. range 300 kilometers (190 miles). similar to the Dagestan warship of the Russian Navy.

Project 11661K Gepard class frigate "Dagestan"

Kalibr-NK missile system

 

[Viet]

Air Platforms
IMDEX 2015: AgustaWestland in talks with Vietnam over naval helicopter needs

IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
20 May 2015

submarine hunter AW159 Wildcat

AgustaWestland's Asia-Pacific head has revealed that the company is in preliminary discussions with the Vietnamese Navy over its helicopter requirements.

Andrew Symonds, vice-president of Asia Pacific at AgustaWestland, told reporters at IMDEX 2015 that the company was in talks with Vietnam over which helicopters would best meet the Vietnamese Navy's needs.

"We're offering them a variety of aircraft to see which platforms meet their requirements, so we talking to them about the AW109, AW139, and we're talking to them about the AW159 for anti-submarine warfare requirements," he said.

He added that a Vietnamese naval delegation is expected to visit the United Kingdom later this year to continue the dialogue on its requirements.