The countries reached a new agreement in defense cooperation on Monday. India has agreed to train Vietnamese pilots to fly Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets in a bilateral effort to boost defense ties, Indian media reported. After nearly two years of discussion, the agreement was reached during a meeting between Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich, the Hindu daily reported on Monday. India has already trained 550 Vietnamese sailors to operate Kilo-class submarines. The Southeast Asian country started receiving six submarinesin 2014 from Russia under a $2-billion deal, with the last one set to arrive early next year. “Details are being worked out. Their pilots will be trained here. The two Air Forces will now sit and work out the numbers and scope. It should start fairly quickly,” the Hindu quoted a source as saying. In September this year, during his visit to Vietnam, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi … [Read more...] about India agrees to train Vietnamese pilots for Sukhoi Su-30 jets
Jet pilot
Body of crashed jet pilot taken ashore
The dead body of pilot Tran Quang Khai from crashed fighter jet Su-30MK2 was taken ashore on a vessel of the border guard force in the north central province of Nghe An at 5a.m. this morning. Pilot Tran Quang Khai’s body was taken ashore in Nghe An province this morning (Photo: SGGP) While fishing at sea, fisherman Dau Van Kinh from Nghi Xuan District found the pilot’s body wrapped in a parachute last night. The provincial border guard force dispatched the rescue vessel to access the fishing boat and take the pilot’s body ashore. Relatives and comrades of pilot Tran Quang Khai waited overnight at the wharf of Flotilla 2 to receive him in boundless grief. Debris of CASA-212 aircraft with nine members aboard has been found 29 nautical miles southeast of Bach Long Vy Island after they lost contact while searching for the pilot two days ago. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last night sent a dispatch expressing his condolence to families of the passed away pilots and … [Read more...] about Body of crashed jet pilot taken ashore
Rescue plane loses contact while searching for fighter jet pilot
Rescue plane loses contact while searching for fighter jet pilot The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – Air traffic controllers lost contact with a Vietnam Marine Police aircraft yesterday afternoon when it was flying off the coast of Haiphong City in the search for missing Su30-MK2 fighter jet pilot Tran Quang Khai. According to the National Committee for Search and Rescue, the twin-engine CASA aircraft took off at Hanoi’s Gia Lam airport at 9:10 a.m. and lost contact at 12:30 p.m. while it was flying over the waters of Haiphong City in northern Vietnam. Nine people were on board the plane, with Colonel Le Kiem Toan, Commander of the Air Force Brigade 918 of Vietnam Air Force-Air Defense, as serving as captain. CASA 8983 disappeared from radar around 40 nautical miles south of Bach Long Vy island which was encountering rough seas yesterday, which affected the search mission. The Ministry of National Defense told Military Zone 3, the navy, the border guard and the marine police … [Read more...] about Rescue plane loses contact while searching for fighter jet pilot
Vietnamese ex-pilot, from national hero to joyful farmer
Once a world-renowned Vietnamese pilot during the 1960s, Nguyen Van Bay, now at the age of 80, has returned to his root as a farmer in Dong Thap Province, located in the Mekong Delta. Once a world-renowned Vietnamese pilot during the 1960s, Nguyen Van Bay, now at the age of 80, has returned to his root as a farmer in Dong Thap Province, located in the Mekong Delta. Bay was previously an accomplished fighter jet pilot for the Vietnam People’s Air Force during the American war in Vietnam who made a name for himself between 1966 and 1967. He shot down seven modern aircraft of the United States Air Force with his MiG-17. The ace, who was born in 1936 in Lai Vung District, Dong Thap, was honored with the nation’s hero title, along with his insignia as a Senior Lieutenant. Bay said he claimed such many victories thanks to luck and recklessness. The Vietnamese pilot was later approached and befriended by Brigadier General Richard Stephen Ritchie, or Steve Ritchie, an officer … [Read more...] about Vietnamese ex-pilot, from national hero to joyful farmer
‘Lair’ of Vietnam’s ‘King Cobra’ fighter jets – P4: Fighter pilots’ untold stories
Pilots in state-of-the-art Russian Su-30MK2 fighter jets stick to a stringent diet and workout a regime to keep themselves fit for their grueling training flights. >> ‘Lair’ of Vietnam’s ‘King Cobra’ fighter jets – P3: A live-ammunition drill >> ‘Lair’ of Vietnam’s ‘King Cobra’ fighter jets – P2: Striking at night >> ‘Lair’ of Vietnam’s ‘King Cobra’ fighter jets – P1: A country prepared During a recent visit to the 935 Fighter Jet Regiment, stationed in Bien Hoa City, approximately 30 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters were amazed at the exacting preparation pilots put in for their airborne operations in Su-30MK2 fighter jets. Su-30MK2, dubbed ‘King Cobra,’ is an improvement on the Su-30MKK – a heavier class, all-weather, long-range strike fighter equipped with track-while-scan and … [Read more...] about ‘Lair’ of Vietnam’s ‘King Cobra’ fighter jets – P4: Fighter pilots’ untold stories