A thread about the Vietnamese Air Force seems not to exist yet, so lets start one.
I just found this.
Вьетнам заключил контракт на российские учебно-боевые самолеты Як-130 - Ведомости
So did Vietnam really ordered 12 Yak-130 jet trainers/light fighters?
Vietnam is the third user of the
YAK-130 in Southeast Asia after Myanmar and Laos. Russian media outlet Vedomosti says the contract is worth US$350 million.
Makes sense as Vietnam operates a small Russian supplied fleet of multi-role aircraft, with the ambition to be one of the more capable 2nd tier ASEAN Air Forces. By 2026, Vietnam’s force structure is just a bit smaller than Singapore (4 G550 AEWs, a detachment of 4 F-35Bs, 3 squadrons of 60 F-16Vs and 2 squadrons of 40 F-15SGs) and Thailand (a single Saab 340 AEW&C
, 2 squadrons of 30 upgraded F-5s, 2 squadrons of 38 F-16ADF, a squadron of 7 JAS 39C/D Gripens and 19 Alpha Jets) who are leagues ahead, in tier 1 (with tertiary capabilities).
By 2026, Vietnam will have an advanced Air Force that is on par with Indonesia (and a step far ahead of Malaysia). Vietnam currently operates:
- a fleet of 36 Su-22, with greater focus on close-air support. These aircraft are armed with dual 30mm cannons and 12 hardpoints capable of integrating a range of Russian designed and manufactured air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-surface munitions, including 'dumb' and 'smart' bombs, with a max load capacity of 8,800 pounds.
- a fleet of 11 of the Su-27P/SK/UBK variants. The Su-27SK variant, serves as the base model for the Vietnamese operated variants. These aircraft are armed with a single 30mm cannon and has 10 hardpoints capable of carrying a range of Russian made air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-surface munitions, including 'dumb' and 'smart' bombs with a maximum load capacity of about 10,000 pounds.
- a fleet of 36 Su-30MK2 that serve as the backbone of the nation's air force. The Su-30 has a max speed of Mach 2 and range of about 3,000 kilometres. The aircraft is armed with a single 30mm cannon and 12 hardpoints capable of carrying a variety of Russian and Chinese made air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-surface munitions, including 'dumb' and 'smart' bombs with a maximum load capacity of about 18,000 pounds.
Vietnam's proximity to and interests in the South China Sea and historical disputes with China have required that the nation maintain a well-rounded, yet highly capable fighter force capable of competing with larger nations and will continue to form the backbone of their strategic and tactical response to the rapidly changing region.
Vietnam indicates in a 2019 defense white paper it will pursue stronger military ties abroad as China challenges its maritime sovereignty claims, and analysts expect that to mean more exercises with Western-leaning foreign powers and brisker purchases of foreign weapons. They may want to deepen cooperation with other powers, but how far they can or will go they don’t say specifically in the White paper. India and Vietnam signed a deal in 2018 to step up defense cooperation, and Vietnamese military personnel already train at Australian defense institutions. The White paper’s wording implies that Vietnamese officials feel confident they can join any future US military exercises with ASEAN. Further, in Aug 2018, a French air force squadron paid its first visit to Vietnam in the contemporary bilateral relationship. The squadron included 3 Rafale fighters, one A400M plane, one C-135 plane and one A310 plane, in addition to 100 personnel, headed by General Patrick Charaix, commander of France’s Strategic Air Forces Command.
