Re: PLAN submarines Thread II
Remember that vietnam already operates kilos. So its not exactly new to them. In addition, the deal with russia also stipulates that vietnamese crews get trained in russia.
Dont underestimate the vietnamese navy
Since when?
I think Vietnam has made big strategic mistakes in copying China's Russian arms purchases.
The Kilos are good boats, but China also has them and has had them for quite some time. That means that China knows full well the strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and limits of the Kilo, and of all the SSKs in the world, the PLAN would know the most, and be best equipped, trained and practiced at finding and killing Kilos.
It's a repeat of the the mistakes the Vietnamese air force made if recent rumors of PLAAF J10s completely owning them in EW during recent encounters are correct.
Even if the reports are bogus, the PLAAF pilots would still hold a massive advantage in the event of war because they would have had spent years flying with, or against the exact type of aircraft the Vietnamese are flying, and would know them as well as the Vietnamese pilots themselves and would also have found and developed many special moves to take advantage of any weaknesses and limitations in the Flanker design.
When you are fighting a superior enemy, the only real advantage that you might have that would allow you to overcome the enemy's qualitative and/or quantitative superiority is the element of surprise. That is why China guards its military secrets so jealously, but that element of surprise is what Vietnam is relinquishing by using the same equipment as China.
or destroy big part of Vietnamese navy
