Vietnam frigate conducts drills in South China Sea.

According to information published by VnExpress International on April 7, 2021, 016 Quang Trung a Vietnamese frigate has performed combat drills along with an anti-submarine helicopter near the Spratly Islands.
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016 Quang Trung, Gepard-class frigate (Picture source: Twitter account of South China Sea Connect)

016 Quang Trung, equipped with rockets and stealth capabilities, is used to combat submarines and other warships, Vietnam Television said.

Ka-28 helicopters carried out emergency landing drills. "On the Spratly Islands, combat preparations are at the highest levels," the national broadcaster added.

016 Quang Trung, a Gepard-class frigate, commissioned in 2018, carries a lot of modern Russian weaponry and camouflage technologies like radar-absorbing paint.

Its main weaponry includes eight 3M24E rockets with a 130-km range, an AK-176MA gun and other rocket-gun combinations. It is also capable of carrying a Ka-28 helicopter for anti-submarine warfare.

Gepard-class frigates (Cheetah in Russian) is 102.4m x 14.4m beam x 5.6m draft for the second batch ships and 102.14 m x 13.09 m x 5.3 m for the first batch ships.

The Gepards has a 20 day endurance and a 4,000 nm range at 10 knots. The frigates have a crew of 103 people for the first batch units and 84 for the second batch due to improved automation. They also have space for an extra 16 personnel.

The hull and superstructure are constructed primarily of steel, with some aluminum-magnesium being used in the upper superstructure. The hull is divided into 10 watertight compartments. The ship is designed to remain afloat even when two side by side compartments are flooded.

They are equipped with fin stabilizers and twin rudders, and can use either gas turbines or diesel for propulsion in a CODOG configuration. These vessels are capable of employing their weapons systems in conditions up to Sea State 5.