Russia will deliver the two more Varshavyanka class diesel-electric submarines to Vietnam in 2014, RIA Novosti quotes a source in defense industry.
The Varshavyanka-class (Project 636) is an improved version of the Kilo-class submarines and features advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets, RIA Novosti reports.
Vietnam in 2009 ordered six of the Russian-made submarines -- dubbed “black holes in the ocean” by the US Navy because they are nearly undetectable when submerged, in a step seen as an effort to counterbalance China’s expanding maritime influence in the region, RIA Novosti informs.
