Presented by Senior Colonel VO TA QUE, Chief of Technical Department of Air Defence-Air force, Vietnam People Army Some matters about modernization of aircrafts, weapons and facilities for Vietnam Air Force Ladies and Gentlemen, First of all, on behalf of Vietnam Air Defence Air Force, I would like to thank Mr. Dato Sri Abdullah Bin Ahmad, Advisor of Strategy and Defence, former Malaysia Chief of Air force for inviting our delegates from Vietnam Air Defence Air Force to this conference.
For recent years, political and military situations in the world in general and in the Southeast Asia in particular have shown lots of complicated situations, especially the East Sea that is, at all times, under threat of armed conflicts. To cope with risk of hi-tech war, which is considered as the primary method of combat in the twentyfirst century, the Asian countries should attach all special importance to the military strategy, theory of defence, development of elite and modern army. Particularly, modernization of military weapon and facilities in general and of the air force in particular should be deemed as an important content of your military strategy.
Depending on political, economic conditions, technical science, national defence of each country, each country will have their own ideas, methods and way to do. However, from overall view, it is seen that armed forces of the regional countries have focused on investment in purchase, modernization of weapons, including weapons for the air force.
Vietnam Air Force was established and develops from our national liberation war, national unity in the 60s years of the last century. Over tens of years of development and growth, up to now, Vietnam Air Force possesses various and diversified types of weapons, such as: Su-27SK twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft, Su 30MK2, Su-22M & Su-22M4 fighter bombers, transport aircrafts An-2, An-26, M-28, helicopters Mi-17, Mi-171, Mi-172, UH-1A; trainer aircrafts IAK-52, L- 39; naval anti-submarine helicopters Ka-28, Ka-32; Transport helicopters EC-255; Short take-off and landing aircraft DHC-6; turboprop-powered STOL medium transport aircraft CASA-212 in possession of Vietnam Maritime Police.
As to the antipersonnel weapons, there are air-to-air, air-tosurface, anti-ship missiles of which operation principles refer to radar, infrared, laser transmission, optical television, ultrasonic wave, perforation of reinforced concrete, cluster bomb, bomb to kill water targets, smart bomb; rockets 50mm to 240mm and guns and cannons 7.62mm to 30mm. To realize the air force modernization project, Vietnam Air Force will, in coming time, continue to buy some types of fighter aircrafts Su-30MK2, transport aircraft Casa-295. With existing and future weapons and facilities, fight strength of Vietnam Air Force rises a lots and have capacity to perform multiple tasks, for example, aviation fighter, contour-fighter, reconnaissance, transport, seek-and-rescue and others.
At present, Vietnam Air Force possesses three large factories in charge of medium, major repairs of jet planes, transport aircrafts, helicopters and jet engines as well as manufacturing a number of essential commodities used on the aircraft. For the last years, these factories have been under deep investment in technology, infrastructure to selfproduce and purchase lots of technological equipment, technology processes, engineering documents so that they can serve and repair the modern air equipment.
Moreover, Vietnam Air Force has a Institute of Army Technique Research; an Academy of Air Defence Air Force training the fighters, communication officers, guide, aviation engineers and a Training Center for pilots, aviation technicians. On implementation of aircraft, weapon and aviation facilities improving project, we have broadened international relationship with traditional partners, cooperation with army technique research organizations, industrial organizations from all the countries as well as concentration on some areas below:
1. On improvement and innovation: We innovate some features and operating principles of some backward, old-version devices and systems used in the aircraft. We install the global positioning systems in the fighter aircrafts and helicopters together with improvement of weather radar, communication devices. We design and manufacture target display in combination with signal recorder with FPGA embedded processor and LCD screen in the aircraft Su-22M4. We manufacture objective inspection system and replace the old version with the embedded technology. We improve the weapon controller for air-to-air missiles in the contour-fighter aircrafts.
2. On research, manufacture of substitute materials, spare parts We research and produce tubeless tire of aircrafts, aviation battery, flexible fuel tanks, non-metal materials, heat-resistant & antifriction rubber grade; high-pressure pipes in the hydraulic systems; paints, adhesives in replacement of imported, high-cost products.
3. On research and manufacture of technological equipment: We research and manufacture trial-test desk and rack; we develop technological processes in the aircraft repair plant at home so as to reduce importing the aircraft repair technology from the manufacturers. We manufacture testing devices to test properties and parameters of the aircraft. We apply information technology, micro-processing technology to repair of panels, computer integrated circuit in the modern aircrafts. 4. On research, manufacture of the unmanned aircraft We research and manufacture the pre-programmed unmanned aircraft, targets (flying targets) to serve the fighting training of pilots, missile trial-firing after they are improved, and the uncontrolled antipersonnel weapons.
Ladies and gentlemen, Vietnam Air Force attends this conference with a desire to exchange, share our information with colleagues in respect to purchase, repair, innovation of aviation weapons and equipment. Whereby we expect to create new opportunities to cooperate with the air forces from regional countries in term of purchase, repair, innovation of aviation weapons as well as cooperation, affiliation, partnership with hi-tech service centers for Air force and Air Defence in order to offer timely support with technical service, transfer of repair technology, supply of materials to serve repair, replacement of instruments in the modern aircrafts, as well as to improve the night observing system in the helicopters, guidance radar in the fighter aircrafts with new-version, modern planes. Thank you!