ST. PETERSBURG, May 28 (RIA Novosti) – The final Kilo-class Project 636 diesel-electric submarine for the Vietnamese navy under a 2009 contract was laid down Wednesday in St. Petersburg, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti.
"Today, we had the ceremony of laying down the sixth submarine for Vietnam. This is the latest submarine in this series," the source said.
Under the $2 billion contract, two submarines have already been delivered to Vietnam, the third is undergoing sea trials, a fourth was floated out in late March, and the fifth and sixth are now under construction.
"Two submarines have already been transferred to the Vietnamese Navy, the third is to be transferred this year and the remaining three in 2015-2016," according to the source.
The vessels are built at the Admiralty Shipyards, a leading enterprise of the Russian shipbuilding industry and part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. Its military products include warships, especially nuclear and diesel-powered submarines, and large auxiliary vessels.
The $2 billion contract for the supply of six improved Kilo-class submarines to Vietnam was signed in 2009. The submarines will be armed with Club-S anti-ship missiles. The noise level of these submarines is considered the lowest among all Russian vessels.
