NATO-Standard Equipment Poised For Landmark Inroad Into Vietnamese Market: Will Russia Be Sidelined?

<p >South Korea and Vietnam are in the finals stages of negotiating a $300 million contract for the export of K9 self-propelled howitzers, marking the first major arms sale between the two countries. Although the deal covers only 20 howitzers, averaging at $15 million each, it would introduce NATO-standard 155mm artillery into the Vietnamese Army, indicating possible plans to transition to using this calibre from Soviet standard 152mm guns. Western Bloc states have made extensive efforts to penetrate Vietnam’s arms markets for well over a decade, although successes have been limited, with the country continuing to rely on Russia for the large majority of its armaments. The outbreak of war in Ukraine, however, has <a href=" target="_blank">limited Russia’s ability</a> to deliver ground force equipment to its clients, with its defence sector revealed to have contracted very significantly since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. While other clients such as Algeria have handled the shift by <a href=" target="_blank">relying increasingly</a> on China to supply armaments, Vietnam’s ongoing territorial disputes with China leave it with relatively few options for arms procurements. </p><p ><img src=" title="Vietnamese Army 2S3 Akatsiya Soviet-Supplied 152mm Gun"></p><p >South Korea previously made major personnel contributions to the Vietnam War supporting U.S.-led coalition forces against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, while North Korea was a leading supporter of the communist state providing much needed fighter pilots for its air force. Vietnam previously procured North Korean armaments including Hwasong-5 ballistic missiles, but has come under growing pressure from countries across the Western world, as well as from South Korea, to limit ties. The country is expected to continue to seek to balance between its traditional security partners, namely North Korea and Russia, and its emerging economic partners including South Korea and the United States. This mirrors the approach taken by India, which like Vietnam has historic defence ties with Russia and relies on Russian supplies for the large majority of its armaments, but has adopted some NATO-standard equipment including American M777 155mm howitzers. Vietnam’s much smaller military, however, leaves significantly less room for it to accommodate armaments from as many sources. The Vietnamese government has notably been lobbied persistently by the United States both to avoid purchasing Russian armaments, and to procure more Western equipment, with the possibility of sales of F-16 fighters having consistently been raised despite few signs of interest from Hanoi. Vietnam is expected to continue to rely on Russian equipment in its air force, with multiple sources in the country having reported plans to <a href=" target="_blank">procure Su-57 fighters </a>in the late 2020s or early 2030s. </p>

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