The ceremony took place at the Cam Ranh naval base on 06 February 2018. “The moment the new combat ships entered combat duty heralded a major phase in upgrading the Vietnamese Navy, enhancing its combat capability and making a decisive contribution to strengthening the protection of the country’s maritime borders,” the commander of Vietnam’s 4th Naval Region, Rear Admiral Pham Van Hoanh said at the ceremony.
The ships were the last two of the four Gepard class frigates (Project 11661) built for Vietnam.
The two latest vessels of the Gepard-class will be fitted with an enhanced anti-submarine warfare suit, including two twin 533 milometer torpedo tubes, depth charges, and an RBU-6000 12-barreled anti-submarine rocket launcher. The ships also feature modern electronic warfare and sonar suits, and a flight deck that can accommodate a Ka-28 or a Ka-31 Helix naval helicopter.
The 1,500-ton Gepard-class frigates will also be armed with the Uran-E shipborne missile system firing Kh-35E anti-ship missiles, a 76.2 mm AK-176M gun, as well as two fully-automated AK-630M 30 mm gun systems used for protection against enemy anti-ship missiles.
Furthermore, the ships will be equipped with the Palma anti-aircraft gun-missile system consisting of two 30 mm six-barrel AO-18KD/6K30GSh automatic cannons and up to eight Sosna-R laser-guided hypersonic surface-to-air missiles.