since ancient times, vietnamese military doctrine is to get on par with chinese. I don´t know how our navy could handle the chinese navy without destroyers? heavy frigates are good, but they can only be the beginning. the PLA begins to build up with fleets of destroyers and carriers, how can we stop them? with the current assets we have no chance.
Ancient times are a bit different than present times. The Vietnamese navy
CAN'T go par on par with the chinese navy. The Vietnamese navy can only play a defensive role. If Vietnam's economy were to be 20 times the size of the present economy, then Vietnam can try to go on a par with china.
Destroyers will not make much difference at all, they will just be big targets that the chinese will love to sink.
Vietnam needs a balanced navy and a heavy frigate (4500 tons) tailored for the air defense role with Aster 15 / 30, but still multi role with full ASW capability fits very well in that balanced navy. It will provide fleet air defense. It will probably cost $500-600 million.
Destroyers are mainly for air defense these days and they are usually multirole. I fail to see what new capability a destroyer will bring with respect to the heavy frigate other than some extra VLS cells. A destroyer is a duplication once you have the heavy frigates. An expensive duplication that will cost at least 1 billion, so what's the point?
Air defense destroyers are for fleet air defense in distant waters (power projection) or for base / land air defense as the Japanese AEGIS destroyers are often used to protect Japanese territory from ballistic missiles. Vietnam has S-300/400 for that role which is better and cheaper. Fleet air defense will be done by the heavy frigates. Power projection far from home is something that VN does not need. So what's the point for those destroyers? What are they going to do?
Vietnam deploys 1 destroyer, the chinese deploy 10.
What about the chinese cruisers and aircraft carriers? Is Vietnam also going to build those types?
China is building the Type 55 cruiser, that thing is a monster, even bigger than American cruisers.
How is the Vietnamese destroyer going to survive against them?
How is the Vietnamese destroyer going to survive against chinese aircraft carrier battle groups?
How is the Vietnamese destroyer going to survive against the many chinese subs running around (around 60)?
How is the Vietnamese destroyer going to survive against a heavy air attack with missile saturation?
Vietnamese destroyer = Nice big, juicy target for the chinese.
Vietnam has limited resources so it needs to spend the money wisely on weapon systems that have the most bang for the dollar. That means aircraft, missiles and subs. Period.
In the battle between anti ship missiles and a ship's air defenses, the missile wins. Supersonic missiles are the way to go, they are difficult to intercept. A saturation missile attack will
ALWAYS DESTROY ANY SHIP. An air defense destroyer can only intercept so many missiles at the same time and furthermore, what about when it runs out of missiles?
A SU-34 with 3 Brahmos missiles (later with Brahmos-2 hypersonic) is the way to go.
SU-34=$35 million plus 3 Brahmos at 5 million each for the latest version = $50 million.
That $50 million package can sink your billion dollar destroyer.
Aircraft with the right missiles can challenge the chinese navy. Vietnamese surface ships can only be useful in a defensive role or against a light threat. If the chinese navy sends a whole fleet to the Spratlys, the Viet navy has to stay in port, otherwise it will not survive.
Surface ships can't hide. In a conflict, chinese satellites will monitor the Viet naval bases and will track any ship that leaves port. China has good stand off targeting and launching platforms such as the H-6 bombers armed with long range cruise missiles (2000 km+).
Submarines on the other hand, can challenge the chinese navy. The $300 million Kilo can sink anything including aircraft carriers. Old chinese subs have surfaced next to american aircraft carriers totally undetected in the past.
Unlike surface ships, subs can hide, they are very difficult to detect.
That's why I say that the money needs to go into aircraft, missiles and subs, not destroyers.
Missile technology. to Vietnam bigger warships only for durable all weather operation at sea. They are not there to be targets and manage hardly to protect themselves.
Sea missile launching platforms or ASW are the name. Destroyers stand for providing more effective air defense ability to aircraft carrier groups.
DF-21A was there as China anti access weapon. But that's not perfect.
Antiship coastal cruise missiles with 500-600 kilometer of range or 300 kilometers of range launched from air are key.
No country has enough destroyers for oversaturated attack by cruise missiles. It's cheaper too..
Very correct, good to see that someone understands.
Once Vietnam develops standoff surveillance and targeting capabilities (satellites, etc), then can use land based long range missiles (up to 1000 km) and it can target anything in the Spratlys.
Armed drones also.