RTAF – Air Attaché Office in Hanoi
DEFENSE NEWS BULLETIN 31.December.2022
1. VIETNAM DEFENSE EXPO SHOWCASES MODERN WEAPONARY.
Numerous types of missiles, jets, tanks and guns are exhibited at the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022 at Hanoi’s Gia Lam Airport, which opened Thursday.
An anti-air system named SPYDER, made by Israel, uses heat-seeking Python-5 missiles and Derby missiles guided by radar to destroy targets like UAVs, helicopters and other missiles.
The Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022, the first large-scale arms fair in Vietnam that lasts from December 8 to December 10, is participated by over 170 military companies and businesses from 30 countries and territories.
Numerous tanks, aircrafts, helicopters and radar systems, among others, are exhibited over an outdoor area spanning over 20,000 m2.
The launching pad and anti-air missiles S-125-2TM, which belong to Vietnam, can destroy targets flying at 900 m/s, at a maximum distance of 35 km.
Russia’s 533 mm torpedos can take down several types of ships, submarines and floating structures.
The lightweight VUA-SC-3G UAV, made by Vietnam’s military-owned telecommunication firm Viettel, can fly continuously for three hours, with a maximum speed of 120 kph and a control radius of 50 km.
The T-90SK tank, belonging to the Vietnamese army but made in Russia, weighs 46.5 tons. It has a maximum speed of 60 kph, and is equipped with 125 mm cannons, along with other types of guns.
At a section of the Vietnam Defense Industry, numerous types of guns are exhibited. Most of them use 7.62 x 39 mm bullets, which are produced by Vietnam.
The Cyclone rifle, made by the U.K.’s Steel Core company, weighs 6.85 kg and is 1.19 m long. It uses 7.62 x 51 mm bullets, and are mostly used by military and police units.
The CZ P-10 C pistol and some of its variants are exhibited at a section for Israel. It uses 9 mm bullets.
A Su-35S jet model by Russian firm Rosoboronexport is exhibited.
The jet is equipped with several modern equipment, including the N035 Irbis-E radar, allowing it to keep track of 30 targets within 400 km, and to destroy eight targets at the same time.
A model of the F-16 jet, produced by the U.S.’s Lockheed Martin corporation.
The F-16 has been developed since the 1970s and has undergone several improvements. It has a maximum speed of 2,121 kph at an altitude of 12,000 m, and can fly up to 18,000 m. It is equipped with 20 mm cannons and can carry 7.7 tons of weapons.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (2nd, L) and Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang visit a section with an exhibited radar system and other anti-air techonologies by Viettel.
Starting at 9 a.m. this Saturday, people can visit the expo and see the performances. The expo will close at 6 p.m. the same day.
(By VN Express.net)
2. 29 COUNTRIES TO SHOWCASE PRODUCTS, TECHNOLOGIES AT VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE EXPO.
The Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 ((VIET NAM DEFENCE 2022) will take place in Hanoi from December 8-10, the Defence Ministry announced at a press conference on November 24.
(An overview of the press conference)
Major General Nguyen Viet Hung, deputy political commissar of the General Department of Defense Industry, said the expo aims to promote international cooperation in defence, build trust between Vietnam and other countries, and introduce the technology and production capacity of Vietnam’s defence industry.
This is also an occasion for Vietnam to diversify suppliers of goods serving armed forces and national defence, get updated on the development trends of weapons and technical equipment in the world, and explore opportunities to export products of the domestic defence industry.
Vietnam will exhibit products made by units under the Defence Ministry, including the General Department of Defense Industry, the air force and air defence, the navy, the Military Technology Academy, the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre and the Viettel Group, as well as the Security Industry Agency under the Ministry of Public Security.
According to the organizing board, 45 foreign delegations have officially registered to participate in the expo as invited guests. They are expected to bring to the event weapons, technical solutions and equipment for the navy, army, air force and air defence, cyber operations and logistics-technical equipment.
Meanwhile, a total of 170 enterprises from 30 countries will open their booths at the expo.
The expo will be open free to the public on December 9 from 2pm to 6pm, and all day on December 10.
(By Viet Nam Net)
3. VIETNAM EXPO DISPLAYS DECLINING BUT ONGOING DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIAN ARMS.
Vietnam has held its first military trade show as it seeks to continue to reduce its dependence on Russian weapons.
The Vietnam International Defence Expo, or VIDEX, took place Dec. 8-10 at Gia Lam Airport in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. About 170 organizations participated in the event, including the state-owned telecommunications provider Viettel and U.S.-based unmanned technology specialist RT Robotics.
(Vietnamese military officials and a delegate, left, speak next to a model of a military radar during Vietnam’s first-ever defense expo in Hanoi on Dec. 8, 2022)
Viettel, which is run by Vietnam’s Defence Ministry, showed off a variety of small arms at its indoor booth; its outdoor display included several vehicle-mounted air defense radars as well as communications and electronic warfare systems. These included short- and medium-range 3D S-band air defense radars and the AJAS-1000 family of electronic warfare systems.
(This S-band medium-range air surveillance radar, made by Viettel, is said to be able to detect up to 300 targets at a maximum range of 360 kilometers (224 miles). It was designed with open architecture in mind for the integration of C4ISR systems)
RT Robotics displayed its vertical-takeoff-and-landing drone Hera, which is capable of carrying nine grenades and is small enough for an individual to transport and deploy.
A recurring theme at the expo was Vietnam’s desire to reduce its dependence on traditional supplier Russia for its military equipment. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia was Vietnam’s top major arms provider from 2017 to 2021, accounting for 56% of Hanoi’s total imports in this category. Israel was second (19%), followed by South Korea (6.6%).
The think tank also found that Russian arms exports dropped between the time frames of 2012-2016 and 2017-2021, partly because of a 71% decrease in Vietnamese arms exports.
Vietnam’s existing dependency, however, was laid bare by the outdoor exhibits, with Viettel systems primarily mounted on Russian-supplied Kamaz trucks along multiple legacy Russian systems.
Vietnam’s desire to replace aging Russian-built equipment was also evident, with Cold War-era systems — such as a BRDM-2 scout car and 4K44 Redut-M coastal defense missiles — present at outdoor exhibits.
Joining these were modern, non-Russian weapon systems acquired by Vietnam in recent years, including a European Airbus C295 tactical airlifter as well as the short- and medium-range versions of the Spyder air defense system, made by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Sarah Russ, who serves as the mobilization assistant to the director of strategy, plans, programs and requirements at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii, said at the show that Vietnam will take delivery of 12 Textron T-6 Texan II turboprop trainer aircraft beginning in 2024.
Vietnam will receive three T-6 aircraft in the first quarter of 2024, with the completion of deliveries expected in 2027. This would mark the first major transfer of U.S. military equipment to Vietnam since an arms embargo was lifted in 2016.
(By Defense News)
4. EXCLISIVE: US DEFENSE COMPANIES IN TALKS TO SELL VIETNAM HELICOPTERS, DRONES.
U.S. defence firms have discussed supplying military gear, including helicopters and drones, to Vietnam in talks with top government officials, two sources with knowledge of the dialogue told Reuters, a new sign the country may reduce its reliance on Russian arms.
Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), Boeing (BA.N), Raytheon (RTX.N), Textron (TXT.N) and IM Systems Group met with the officials on the sidelines of the country’s first large-scale arms fair last week, according to the US-ASEAN Business Council, the industry body that arranged the meetings.
A source who was present at the weapons discussions said they involved the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defence.
(Military vehicles are displayed at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022, in Hanoi, Vietnam, December 8, 2022)
The preliminary talks, which may not lead to any deals, come as the Southeast Asian nation seeks new suppliers and the Ukraine conflict strains the capabilities of Russia, for decades Vietnam’s main military partner. The war, which Moscow calls a “special operation”, has also led to strict sanctions against Russia.
“This marks the beginning of a more open-minded Vietnam People’s Army to U.S. weapons, and a willingness to engage deeper with the U.S. in defence as a whole,” said Nguyen The Phuong, a military expert and researcher at the University of New South Wales.
Military deals with the U.S. face many potential hurdles, including that Washington might block arms sales over human rights; concerns about the impact on Hanoi’s tense relations with China; high costs; and whether U.S.-made systems can be integrated with Vietnam’s legacy weapons, analysts said.
The person who attended the meetings said the companies offered a range of military gear and had “promising” discussions about non-lethal equipment, including helicopters for internal security, plus drones, radars and other systems to keep watch on the air, the sea and space.
Vietnam’s defence and foreign ministries did not respond to a request for comment.
A second person familiar with the matter said talks on drones and helicopters began before the arms fair and have involved more weapons.
Lockheed Martin, which showcased fighter and military transport planes at the event, declined to comment.
A Boeing spokesperson referred questions to Vietnam’s defence ministry. Raytheon, Textron and IM Systems Group did not respond to requests for comment.
The discussions show the United States’ growing efforts to gain influence with Hanoi, nearly half a century after the end of the Vietnam War. Since an arms embargo was lifted in 2016, U.S. defence exports to Vietnam have been limited to coastguard ships and trainer aircraft, while Russia has supplied about 80% of the country’s arsenal.
The arms fair attracted dozens of defence companies from 30 countries, all hoping to get a share of the estimated $2 billion Vietnam spends annually in arms imports amid on-off tensions with its neighbour China.
Both sources, who asked not to be named because the talks were confidential, said Lockheed Martin separately had discussions with Vietnam about a new communication and defence satellite, which could replace one of the two from the U.S. company Hanoi already operates.
The U.S. embassy in Hanoi declined to comment, but Ambassador Marc Knapper has said the U.S. stood ready to discuss any military item Vietnam might want to acquire.
The U.S. military has already supplied two relatively small naval cutters and transferred two T-6 Texan trainer aircraft, of which another 10 will be shipped by 2027. It has also pledged Boeing ScanEagle reconnaissance drones, which have not yet been delivered.
Sources and analysts said Vietnam is also considering deals with suppliers from Israel, India, and European and Northeast Asian countries. In the last decade, Israel has been the second-biggest seller of weapons to Vietnam after Russia.
(By Reuters)
5. UNITED STATES ANNOUNCES $29 MILLION CONTRACT TO VIETNAMESE FIRM To BEGIN NEXT STAGE OF DIOXIN CLEAN-UP AT BIEN HOA AIR BASE.
Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new contract for approximately $29 million to clean up dioxin contamination at Bien Hoa Air Base. USAID issued the four-year contract for civil works to Vietnamese firm VINA E&C Investment and Construction JSC (VINA E&C). Under the contract, VINA E&C will complete the excavation of contaminated soil on the air base and prepare it for treatment.
(Ongoing remediation work at Bien Hoa Air Base)
“This announcement represents the United States’ commitment to our partnership with Vietnam,” said Aler Grubbs, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director. “This contract will complete critical preparatory work, paving the way for the treatment phase of the project. This marks the largest contract yet by USAID to a local Vietnamese organization, as we make a concerted effort to build Vietnamese expertise in this nascent area of environmental health and safety.”
“It is an honor to be selected to lead the next phase of the joint cooperative project between the U.S. and Vietnam governments to remediate dioxin at Bien Hoa Air Base,” said Vũ Văn Liêm, General Director of VINA E&C. “This contract is a great opportunity for VINA to continue achieving project progress. We look forward to applying our specialized expertise to meet the project’s high safety and health requirements and technical specifications, and contribute to the overall success of the project.”
USAID is working with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to remediate approximately 500,000 cubic meters of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment on and around the Bien Hoa Air Base. USAID previously completed the clean-up of dioxin contamination at Danang Airport in 2018. The Bien Hoa clean-up effort involves nearly four times the volume of soil as the Danang Airport clean-up. USAID and MND launched the Bien Hoa project in April 2019. In June 2022, USAID completed the remediation of the first parcel of land—a community lake located outside of Gate 2. The whole project is expected to take the MND and U.S. Government 10 years and cost an estimated $450 million. The U.S. Government’s contribution to-date is $163.25 million out of a total expected contribution of $300 million.
In 2023, the United States and Vietnam will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership. Our close cooperation over the past decades to overcome legacies of war is yet another example of how the United States and Vietnam work strategically together to create a better future for our two peoples.
(By USAID)
6. VIETNAM, CUBA INK ENHANCED DEFENSE PACT.
Vietnamese defense chief Luong Cuong and his Cuban counterpart Víctor Rojo Ramos recently signed an agreement to bolster their bilateral defense ties.
Under the pact, the countries will increase their collaboration on human resources training, particularly among military troops.
The leaders have also agreed to increase high-level exchanges to educate officers and soldiers on the special relationship between the Vietnamese and Cuban parties, states, and armies.
“In the last 60 years, and despite many ups and downs in history, relations between Cuba and Vietnam have remained intact as they were at the beginning, while bilateral cooperation has been developed comprehensively in all fields,” Ramos said.
The agreement was sealed during the welcome ceremony for the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. The troops are in the Southeast Asian country to attend the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 until December 12.
(Vietnamese soldiers attending a ceremony in Hanoi)
Pillar of Vietnam-Cuba Relations
Defense cooperation between the two nations “serves as the pillar and role model in promoting other collaboration fields,” the Cuban general said.
The countries signed a defense cooperation plan for 2020 to 2022, engaging in joint activities in the defense industry, training, military medicine, and party and political work.
Cuong and Ramos also signed a new memorandum of understanding for cooperation and experience sharing in their militaries’ party and political affairs.
(By The Defense Post)
7. VIETNAM TURNS AWAY FROM RUSSIA.
Vietnam has held its first ever defence trade show as it seeks to diversify the sources of its defence acquisitions and showcase its domestic defence industry.
The Vietnam International Defence Expo (VIDEX) 2022 took place 8-10 December at Gia Lam Airport in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, with 170 local and foreign exhibitors taking part.
Overseas participants included Lockheed-Martin, India’s Brahmos Aerospace and Japan’s Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA).
The intention to move away from Russia as Vietnam’s principal supplier of weapons was a recurring theme at the show, with the country’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh openly saying as much at the opening day when he said a key objective of holding VIDEX was to “diversify defence equipment procurement sources”.
Vietnam’s efforts to acquire defence materiel from non-Russia sources has already been underway for several years, with the Southeast Asian country buying C295 tactical airlifters from Airbus, ships from the Netherlands’ Damen and Spyder surface-to-air missile systems from Israel’s Rafael Systems in recent years.
The trend is set to continue particularly in the light of sanctions and capacity issues with Russia’s defence industry in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. The next few years will see Vietnam take delivery of Aero-Vodochody L-39NG trainers from the Czech Republic and Textron T-6 Texan II turboprop trainer aircraft.
China threat
Vietnam sees its giant neighbour China as its main security threat, with both countries having a history of clashes and border wars as well as ongoing territorial disputes.
Both are among the six claimants to all or part of the Spratly and Paracel groups of islands in the South China Sea and has been one of the more vocal countries in opposing China’s assertiveness in the dispute and its reclamation and building of structures on some of the islands and features.
Vietnam has also been undertaking its own reclamation and construction projects on the islands and reefs it occupies, although these have been nowhere near the scale of China’s.
Both countries’ militaries openly clashed over the potentially resource-rich islands in 1988 and fought a brief border war in 1979, following Vietnam’s invasion of neighbouring Cambodia.
As a result, China’s ongoing military modernisation has seen Vietnam keen to carry out its own program to modernise its military, with many of the equipment in its inventory still dating back decades to the early part of the Cold War.
Russian systems still prominent
The ageing equipment is almost wholly Soviet/Russian in origin, with the static display at VIDEX underscoring this fact.
Vehicles such as the BRDM-2 scout car (first introduced in 1962), 4K44 Redut-M coastal defence anti-ship missile (1966), S-125 Pechora surface-to-air missile (1961), and SS-1 Scud short-range ballistic missile (1964) were present at the show, making it a rare occasion to see such systems on public display in this region.
(A quartet of Vietnam People’s Air Force Su-30MK2Vs releasing flares during their flypast for the opening ceremony at VIDEX 2022)
Even many of the domestically developed communications, electronic warfare, and radar systems were mounted on Russian Kamaz trucks. The close military relationship between Vietnam and Russia goes back a long way to the 1950s, when the Soviet Union helped arm and train then-North Vietnam’s military in the fight against the US and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War.
Beyond a desire for diversification of its weapons imports, Vietnam’s move away from Russia as a weapons supplier is likely driven by a perception that Western equipment is superior, and discomfort with Russian rapprochement with China.
At the same time, Vietnam is (understandably) likely to be leery of being too reliant on the United States given its history and given it was under an American arms embargo from the end of the Vietnam War until 2016, and Western equipment free of ITAR restrictions is likely to appeal to it.
Domestic industry
VIDEX was also an opportunity for Vietnam’s indigenous defence industry to showcase its efforts, with several indigenous and locally upgraded systems on display, with efforts to upgrade existing systems becoming increasingly important for Vietnam to keep them relevant in the current threat environment.
Among the former was the AJAS-1000 family of truck-mounted electronic warfare systems, which have multiple subvariants for detecting, identifying and jamming different frequency bands including HF, UHF and VHF.
State-owned Viettel also displayed its short- and medium-range 3D S-band air defence radar which it says is being trialled by the Vietnamese military. The former is tripod mounted and has a detection range of up to 100km, while the latter is mounted on a Kamaz 6560 8×8 truck and comes with integrated IFF and a detection range of 360km.
An upgraded ZSU-23-4M tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was also on display, featuring an electro-optical system fitted with a laser rangefinder as well as daylight and thermal cameras capable of automatic target tracking in lieu of its turret mounted RPK-2 “Tobol” (NATO designation “Gun Dish) fire-control radar for its quadruple 23mm autocannons.
The tracking system is linked to a new digital fire-control system made by state-owned defence company Viettel, which says enables the tracking of aircraft up to a range of 20km and allows the engagement of low-altitude targets.
It is also fitted with four Russian-made Igla short-range surface-to-air missiles, increasing the engagement range from 2,500 to 5,500 meters (8,200 to 18,040 feet) and at target altitudes of up to 3,500m (11,480 ft), up from 1,500m (4,920 ft).
The upgraded system is in service with Vietnam’s military, although the Vietnamese People’s Army has not put all of its ZSU-23-4Ms through the upgrade.
(By Australian Defense Magazine)
THE-END