The secret base of Vietnam Navy's first Submarine - The Hanoi HQ 182

View Larger Map

Cam Ranh location on the globe

Military experts admit Cam Ranh’s position of great influence to the global geo-strategic map. In 1888 a Russian naval ship named "Knight" anchored at the Cam Ranh Port during its around-the-world journey. Since then, Cam Ranh became the military port where big countries stationed in the past 100 years. During the Russia - Japan War in 1905, more than 100 vessels of the Pacific Fleet N0. 2 of the Russian Navy gathered in Cam Ranh.

In 1935, the French began to build a naval base at Cam Ranh. In 1940, Cam Ranh fell into the Japanese’s hands, becoming a springboard for Japan to invade Malaysia and the colonial islands of the Dutch (Indonesia at present).

On October 18, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh and the French High Commissioner D' Argenlieu met in Cam Ranh. The meeting was held on the Suffren battleship, with the presence of French generals and foreign journalists.From 1965 to 1972, the U.S. built Cam Ranh Bay into a giant military base that was considered "sacrosanct" as the entrenched fortification to supply fuel and weapons for the war and to control the Pacific western corridor.

In 1969, Lyndon B. Johnson came to inspect the base and it was the first visit by a U.S. president to Vietnam. At that time, the U.S. air base at Cam Ranh Bay was very large, including two airports for jets and an airport for helicopters, each airport could host more than 100 aircrafts at the same time. The U.S. also bored the Cam Ranh mountain to build an aircraft storage and upgraded the runway to serve B52 bombers. The Cam Ranh military airport used to be the airport with the highest landing and take-off frequency in the world.In 1972, the Americans handed over the base to the Saigon regime and three years later, the Vietnam People's Army liberated Cam Ranh. At the time of takeover, Cam Ranh was completely destroyed.

Admiral EI Prokopievich, the final Russian who went aboard the Xakhalin 9 vessel to leave Vietnam in 2002 as the Commander of the 922 material and technical supply station of Cam Ranh said that the former military base of the US in Cam Ranh attracted the attention of the Soviet Union by its geographical location, which is - in terms of all aspects – pre-eminent for the deployment of a naval base.It allows control of the Strait of Malaysia and the Philippines, electronic reconnaissance of the East Sea, the Philippine Sea ... even of the Pecxich bay area or the northern Indian Ocean. The Cam Ranh peninsula covers the two bays of Binh Ba and Cam Ranh, which are not affected by the weather phenomena, with the appropriate area and depth for the anchor of any kind of warships, including the carriers.

Since the 60s of the last century, the Soviet Union Navy began its presence on the ocean. Its warships, submarines and naval aircraft were deployed on the ocean for the purpose of stabilizing the world.The expansion of the scale and the the activities of vessels and the air force at sea required a wide naval logistics network. Since it did not have overseas military bases, the Soviet Union built technical and material supply stations in the territory of the countries which had friendly relations with it and Cam Ranh was a bright spot.

In late 1978, a group of Russian naval generals flew to Vietnam for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the construction of such a station in Cam Ranh on December 30.
On May 2, 1979, the governments of the Soviet Union and Vietnam signed an agreement on the use of Cam Ranh as the station providing technical and material inputs for the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet army over 25 years.

Under the terms of the Agreement, from 8 to 10 Soviet warships, 4-8 submarines and up to 6 escort vessels can simultaneously anchor at the Cam Ranh military port.
At the same time the Cam Ranh military airport could accommodate from 14-16 missile aircraft, 6-9 surveillance planes and 2-3 transport aircraft. Depending on the specific situation, the numbers of aircraft and ships could be increased by agreement between the two Defense Ministries.
In May 1979, Soviet warships began entering into the waters of Cam Ranh. The next summer the K - 45 torpedo nuclear submarine was anchored at Cam Ranh. A short time later, naval aircraft of the Pacific fleet began landing here.

In December 1979, the Soviet Navy commander, Admiral X. Gorskop went to Cam Ranh and he spent a day observing the bay, just like the way US President Johnson did 10 years ago.
The first detachment of the Pacific Fleet consisting of 54 people came here in April 1980 and in August of that year the number increased to 78.Cam Ranh became the largest naval base of the Soviet Union abroad, the only base in the East Sea, which is 2,500 nautical miles from the closest port of Russia.



From the autumn 1983 to August 1991, the mobile squadron 17 deployed at Cam Ranh, from August 1991 to December 1991 it was replaced by the mobile squadron 8 and then the squadron 119.In February 1984, according to the proposal of Vietnam, the Soviet government decided to restore and to build a series of works in Cam Ranh base. The construction at Cam Ranh entered a new phase, when temporary structures were replaced by solid works.On the basis of the Agreement signed between the Soviet Union and Vietnam dated 20/4/1984, the two sides signed a contract to build a complex of radar stations in the form of non-refundable aid. From 1984 to 1987, Russia built a total of 28 housing and specialized works in Cam Ranh. At that time up to 6,000 Russian, including workers, lived in the base.

As agreed in Section 71 of the Agreement signed on 20/4/1984, these construction works would be handed over to Vietnam. The first works were completed in December 1987 and used by the Soviet experts in the form of free rent.

When leaving Cam Ranh, the Russians transported 588 people, 819 tons of cargo, including 50 special vehicles, 190 tons of diesel oil, 133 tons of oil of all types, weapons and ammunition, as well as documents, by both air and sea. At the same time, the Russians handed over to Vietnam 57 buildings and construction works, 85km power transmission line, 62km power cables, 25km of underground works, 250m wharves, airports and warehouse systems.
UX Ivanovich, a Russian veteran in Cam Ranh, recalled that until 1992, when the Soviet Union disintegrated, the entrance-exit procedures at Cam Ranh were managed by Vietnam.
The Cam Ranh naval base today is considered one of the largest bases of Vietnam Navy. It is also selected as the base of the Hanoi Kilo submarine and maybe other submarines. The Cam Ranh military port is increasingly proving its strategic importance.

INS Vikramaditya Video with Sea Harriers

IAI Barak 8 Surface to Air Missile & ships defense. Arrow-3

Soviet Doomsday Submarine

New PLA anti-ship missiles (The YJ-12 supersonic missile) revealed - A JH-7B fighter bomber carrying a YJ-12 supersonic missile

Photos of China's new YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile and YJ-100 anti-ship cruise missile were recently revealed on a Chinese military website.Both missiles are designed to be launched from the H-6G strategic bomber and JH-7B fighter bomber of the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force, the paper said. The YJ-100 is developed based on the country's CJ-10 cruise missiles, while it can be classed as a suitable medium-range missile with a range between 550 and 650 kilometers when launched in mid-air.

Through studying the photos released online, military experts estimated that the size of the YJ-12 is about six meters long with a radius between 0.55-0.6 meters, which is smaller than expected. The YJ-12 also looks much smaller than the Russian-built 3M55 and 3M80 and it may have a shorter range and loading capacity as well. Meanwhile, experts believe the YJ-12 can carry a warhead of 2,000-2,500 kilograms.

As for the range of the YJ-12, it is estimated to be 150 kilometers when launched in low altitude. When the missile is launched in high altitude, the range will increase to between 250 and 300 kilometers. The range is lower than expected however, with some experts previously forecasting a range of 400 kilometers when launched from the low altitude. Despite its size, a single YJ-12 missile can paralyze or sink an enemy surface combat vessel.

South Korean Choppers to Be Armed with Israeli Missiles

More Israeli-made Spike missiles with the maximum range of 25 km will be installed in maritime helicopters ready for deployment next year.Several Spike missiles are already installed on vehicles defending the northwesternmost islands.But the new lot will be mounted on Wildcat maritime choppers to be purchased over the next two years, an official with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Friday. "We've recently struck a deal with the Israeli manufacturer of the missile."

The Spike missile is allegedly capable of hitting a window-size target 25 km away guided by infrared. An officer said the missile can hit the North's coastal artillery as well as its high-speed boats or hovercraft if they launch surprise landings on South Korean territory.A total of eight Wildcat helicopters will be procured, each of which can carry four Spike missiles. The missiles cost about W300 million (US$1=W1,056) each, approximately 100 times the price of a shell for the K-9 self-propelled howitzer. 

Cheongung – a New MR-SAM for the South Korean Multi-Tier Defense System

Missiles deployed by North Korea are covering the entire area of the South, Pyongyang has deployed more than 600 short-range Scud missiles north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), with a range of 320 to 500 kilometers. In addition, 200 Rodong missiles positioned inland have a range of 1,300 kilometers, reaching every point in the South. North Korean Intermediate range ballistic missiles can also reach Russia, China, Japan and Alaska.

Until recently Seoul relied primarily on the U.S. air defense umbrella, comprising Raytheon’s latest version MIM-23 Hawk XXI and ex-German MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2 missiles. Air and missile defense is augmented by the Navy’s AEGIS cruisers and destroyers, providing ad-hoc anti-missile defense.

To defend against North Korean missiles and rocket attacks the Republic of Korea is eying a three-tier aerial and missile defense system to integrate radars, missile interceptors of different types through a unified battle management system.



Seoul principal air defense layer operates six batteries of Patriot PAC-2 GEM/T missiles along with 24 Hawk XXI batteries. These assets are more capable to defend against aircraft than hit ballistic missiles. Two missile interceptor/air defense programs currently underway in Russia will be transferred for production in Korea, one covering extended range and high altitude, and another handling the middle-tier zone.

The first is the medium-range air defense system known as KM-SAM, developed in Russia by the Almaz Design Bureau, in association with an industry team from Korea lead by Samsung Thales. This team included missile builder LIG Nex1 and platform manufacturer Doosan DST. Further localization and industrialization were done in South Korea, making the new weapon system an indigenous program.
The new SAM called ‘Cheongung’ (Iron Hawk) can intercept targets at altitude up to 15 km and at a range of about 40 km.

A Cheongung battery comprises a fire control center, a multi-function radar and up to eight fire units, each carrying eight missiles in ready to launch configuration. It is designed to engage multiple targets simultaneously while tracking (hundred?) additional targets. The key for this capability are the compact multi-function radar developed by Thales-Samsung. Target data and intercept commands are transferred to the missile just prior to firing, with mid-course updates relayed in flight. The vertically launched missile is designed for high maneuverability withstanding loads of up to 50g. It weighs 400 kg, and uses INS guidance with midcourse updates, with active-homing RF seeker for terminal guidance. The multi-function radar is a 3D plannar active array system operating in the X band, it rotates at a rate of 40 rpm and covers up to 80 degrees in elevation.