The HQ-185 Khanh Hoa submarine, the fourth of six Kilo-class submarines Vietnam has contracted to buy from Russia, entered Cam Ranh Bay in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa aboard a Dutch heavy lift ship on Tuesday. The sub was built by the Admiralty Verfi Shipyards in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and was delivered to Vietnam on board the heavy lift vessel Rolldock Storm. The submarine was launched on March 28, 2014 and left Russia for Vietnam on May 14, 2015 after undergoing a number of test runs in the Baltic Sea. The sub runs on electric engines of the 636 Varshavyanka class, which NATO calls Kilo. It is the fourth submarine that Russia has built for Vietnam under a contract for six Kilo-class subs signed in 2009. The value of the contract is nearly US$2 billion, Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper said.  After necessary procedures are completed, the HQ-185 Khanh Hoa will be towed from the Rolldock Storm to the Cam Ranh Military Port over the next few days, according to Submarine Brigade 189. The sub, which is 74 meters long and 9.9 meters wide, has a displacement of 3,000-3,950 tons. It can travel at 20 knots and operate at an average depth of 240 meters, with a maximum depth of 300 meters.  The vessel, with a crew of 52 members, can independently operate for 45 consecutive days in a range of 6,000-7,500 nautical miles. The sub is equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes, Club-S missiles, 24 torpedoes, and 9K34 Strela-3 missiles, or eight 9K38 Igla missiles, according to Nguoi Lao Dong. The first three submarines under the said contract – HQ-182 Hanoi, HQ-183 Ho Chi Minh City and HQ-184 Hai Phong – have already arrived at the Cam Ranh Military Port, and they are all managed by the Vietnam People’s Navy.

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