Vietnam Navy Ka-28 Helicopters Fire APRP-2 Missile During Anti-Submarine Drill.

Vietnam’s People’s Navy has been shown publicly conducting realistic anti-submarine warfare training with Ka-28 Helix-A helicopters, including the release of an air-launched APRP-2 weapon. The footage offers rare confirmation of Vietnam’s integrated maritime strike capability as it works to strengthen deterrence in contested regional waters.

Vietnamese television footage aired in early January and later circulated online has provided an unusual look at the Vietnam People’s Navy employing its Russian-built Kamov Ka-28 Helix-A helicopters in a full anti-submarine warfare scenario. According to Lee Ann Quann on X, the January 11, 2026, broadcast showed a Ka-28 operating alongside surface combatants and deploying an APRP-2 air-launched anti-submarine weapon, marking the first publicly observed operational use of the system rather than a scripted or ceremonial display.
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Vietnam Navy footage shows Ka-28 helicopters firing an APRP-2 weapon, offering rare insight into the country’s evolving anti-submarine warfare capability. (Picture source: VTV1)

The Ka-28 helicopters of the Vietnam People’s Navy were shown getting what observers described as “screen time,” but the footage carried a deeper message. Rather than a static lineup or a symbolic flypast, the aircraft were filmed performing mission-representative profiles associated with anti-submarine warfare. The controlled release of the APRP-2 from the helicopter underscored that the system is fully integrated into Vietnam’s naval aviation kill chain, from detection to engagement, and not simply a stockpiled munition.

The Ka-28 Helix-A is the dedicated export anti-submarine variant of the Kamov Ka-27 family and remains one of the most capable rotary-wing ASW platforms in Southeast Asia. In Vietnamese service, each Ka-28 can deploy a full sensor suite including sonobuoys for wide-area acoustic search and a dipping sonar for precise localization in littoral and blue-water environments. Once a submarine contact is classified, the helicopter can prosecute it using specialized munitions ranging from the APR-2 “Yastreb” class anti-submarine missile to the UMGT-1 “Orlan,” also known by its NATO designation AT-3 Orlan, a lightweight aerial torpedo optimized for helicopter delivery.

The APRP-2 designation used by Vietnam aligns with the Russian APR-2 Yastreb family. This missile class was developed specifically to engage modern submarines, including nuclear-powered platforms, operating at depths of up to 600 meters and speeds of up to 43 knots. Derived from the earlier APR-1 Condor and introduced into service in its modernized APR-2M Hawk-M configuration in the mid-1970s, the weapon weighs approximately 575 kilograms, measures 3.7 meters in length, and carries an 80-kilogram high-explosive warhead fitted with a non-contact acoustic fuze designed to defeat reinforced submarine hulls.

Unlike conventional lightweight torpedoes, the APR-2 employs an underwater solid-fuel rocket motor that allows it to reach very high terminal speeds, reportedly up to 62 knots, sharply compressing the engagement timeline and limiting a submarine’s ability to evade once detected. After being released from an aircraft or helicopter at altitudes between 300 and 2,000 meters, the missile enters the water following a controlled deceleration and begins a programmed dive while operating initially in passive acoustic mode. If no contact is detected, propulsion activates and the missile transitions to active hydroacoustic search, combining inertial guidance with terminal acoustic homing to deliver an effective underwater engagement range of roughly 1.5 to 2 kilometers and a reported kill probability of up to 0.85 even with significant target designation error.

Deploying a heavy ASW missile from a helicopter demands precise flight control, robust release mechanisms, and well-trained crews capable of operating at low altitude over open water. The observed release posture suggested a deliberate placement into a defined water box rather than a theatrical drop, indicating that Vietnam intended to showcase a realistic employment scenario. For professional naval observers, this choice sends a clear message that the weapon is not only possessed, but tactically usable within established ASW doctrine.

Equally important is the operational context in which the Ka-28 and APRP-2 were displayed. Vietnamese naval aviation ASW missions are designed to operate jointly with surface combatants, and recent exercises have emphasized coordination with Petya-class frigates and modern Gepard-class frigates of the Vietnam People’s Navy. In such joint operations, surface ships contribute hull-mounted sonar and command-and-control functions, while helicopters extend the sensor and strike envelope far beyond the ships’ immediate vicinity. A Ka-28 armed with an APR-2 class missile can rapidly respond to a submarine contact generated by a frigate, attack from an unexpected axis, and force the target into evasive maneuvers that expose it to follow-on engagement.

This joint ASW construct reflects Vietnam’s growing sophistication in undersea warfare. The Navy’s experience operating its own Kilo-class submarines has reinforced an understanding of submarine behavior, acoustic tactics, and vulnerabilities. By pairing ship-based sensors with helicopter-delivered high-speed weapons, Vietnam is building an ASW posture that prioritizes speed, coordination, and denial of sanctuary in key maritime approaches.

From an industrial and sustainment perspective, the APRP-2 naming convention is consistent with Vietnam’s broader effort to adapt and localize legacy Russian-origin systems through domestic maintenance, life-extension programs, and integration updates. Whether APRP-2 represents a refurbished APR-2 Yastreb, a modified packaging standard, or a configuration tailored to Vietnamese logistics and training pipelines, its public appearance signals continued investment in credible, combat-ready ASW munitions.

In strategic terms, the emergence of the APRP-2 alongside Ka-28 helicopters and frontline frigates fits neatly into the evolving security environment of the South China Sea, where submarine activity, seabed infrastructure, and contested maritime spaces have elevated the importance of rapid undersea response. By choosing to show the weapon in flight and in context, Vietnam has delivered a calculated deterrent message: its anti-submarine forces are not only searching, but are prepared to strike quickly and in coordination.