Article Posted on : - Apr 27, 2009

Russian Kilo class diesel-electric submarines. A File Photo.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia will build six Kilo class diesel-electric submarines for the Vietnamese navy, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported today.

The paper quoted company general director Vladimir Aleksandrov as saying that Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport would soon sign a contract worth 1.8 billion dollars with a foreign state, and that Admiralty Shipyards had been chosen to fulfill this contract.

The Kilo Class submarines were designed for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare in the protection of naval bases, coastal installations and sea lanes, and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions. The Kilo is considered to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world. The submarine consists of six watertight compartments separated by transverse bulkheads in a pressurised double-hull.

The first submarine entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1982, and submarines of these types are still in use with the Russian navy. As of November 2006, 16 vessels were believed to be in active service and eight vessels were thought to be in reserve. Another 29 vessels have been exported to various countries including India.