Article Posted on : - Jul 01, 2015

A Kilo-class submarine. File photo

HANOI (BNS): The fourth Kilo-class attack submarine built by Russia's Admiralty Shipyards has arrived at the Cam Ranh Port in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa Province on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

The submarine, codenamed HQ-185 Da Nang, was transported by the Dutch-registered cargo ship Rolldock Storm, the Thanh Nien News portal reported.

The submarine was launched on March 28, 2014 at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, Russia, and then had a trial run on the Baltic Sea.

On May 14 this year, it started the voyage to Vietnam, the news report said.

Vietnam had inked a deal worth US$2 billion with Russia in 2009 to buy six Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines to augment its maritime prowess. The contract also entailed training of Vietnamese submarine crew in Russia.

While the first two subs were commissioned into service in April 2014, the third vessel arrived in the country in February this year.

The St. Petersburg-based Admiralty Shipyards, which is building the stealth submarines for the Vietnam People's Navy, is expected to deliver the remaining two vessels by 2016.

The Kilo-class submarine features advanced stealth technology, extended combat range, modern inertial navigation system and the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets. It can operate at a maximum depth of 300m and at a range of 9,600km for 45 days.

The submarines, designed mainly for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare operations, are fitted with 533-milimeter torpedo tubes and armed with torpedoes, mines, and cruise missiles.

Vietnam is making the new naval acquisition amidst growing regional tension over the South China Sea. The country is locked in a bitter spat with China over the maritime region which is believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.