Russian-Vietnamese military cooperation. Kilo class diesel submarines.

Last year's contract on the delivery of six Kilo class diesel submarines to Vietnam, worth a total of $3.2 billion, is the largest deal in the history of Russian exports of naval equipment, a Russian magazine says.

The contract was signed in December 2009 during the visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Russia.

"The construction cost is $2.1 billion, but the building of all necessary coastal infrastructure and the delivery of armaments and other equipment may bring the total to $3.2 bln, which makes this deal the largest in the history of Russian exports of naval equipment," the Export of Arms magazine says in an editorial published in its June issue.

Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg will build the submarines with the rate of one vessel per year.

State-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport previously said Russia could sell up to 40 fourth-generation diesel-electric submarines to foreign customers by 2015.

Kilo class submarines, nicknamed "Black Holes" for their ability to avoid detection, are considered to be among the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world.

The submarine is designed for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface-ship warfare, and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions.

The vessel has a displacement of 2,300 tons, a maximum depth of 350 meters (1,200 feet), a range of 6,000 miles, and a crew of 57. It is equipped with six 533-mm torpedo tubes.

At least 29 Kilo class subs have been exported to China, India, Iran, Poland, Romania and Algeria.

Export of Arms is a specialized Moscow-based technical and analytical magazine, published bimonthly by Russia's Centre for Strategic and Technological Analysis.

MOSCOW, June 3 (RIA Novosti)

La Russie livrera six sous-marins au Vietnam pour 3,2 mds dollars (médias)

La Russie livrera six sous-marins diesel-électriques 636M au Vietnam pour 3,2 milliards de dollars conformément à un contrat signé lors d'une visite du premier ministre vietnamien Nguyen Tan Dong à Moscou le 15 décembre 2009, rapporte la revue russe "Exportation d'armements" dans un numéro à paraître en juin.

"La construction des sous-marins coûtera 2,1 milliards de dollars, mais le montant total du contrat peut atteindre 3,2 milliards compte tenu de la création d'une infrastructure côtière, de la livraison d'armements et d'autres matériels, c'est le gros contrat d'exportation de matériels navals russes", indique la revue.

Le sous-marin diesel-électrique polyvalent du projet 636M (Kilo, selon le code de l'OTAN) atteint la vitesse de 20 nœuds. Il a 45 heures d'autonomie et embarque 57 membres d'équipage. Sa profondeur de plongée maximale est de 300 m. Le sous-marin peut être doté d'au moins 4 missiles de 533 mm, de 18 torpilles ou de 24 mines.