Vietnam launches first locally made warship

By The Associated Press
6:17 p.m., Jan. 16, 2012

HANOI, Vietnam — State media say Vietnam has launched its first domestically made warship equipped with artillery and missile systems.

Online newspaper VnExpress says the ship took a military-run company two years to build. It was delivered to the navy on Monday.

It did not describe the ship's size, but said it has modern artillery and missile systems and an operation range of 2,500 nautical miles (2,880 miles; 4,600 kilometers).

It quoted Rear Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh as saying the ship will be used to patrol the country's territorial waters.

Tensions have risen recently between Vietnam and China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Most of Vietnam's military hardware is from Russia or the former Soviet Union.

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