Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — on the state of the Myanmar Navy and the development of naval cooperation with Russia
One of the tasks of the Pacific Fleet is to display the flag and strengthen military ties between Russia and friendly countries bordered by the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. As part of this task, detachments of Pacific Fleet ships regularly make long-range trips. The cruise of the detachment of ships consisting of the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, the corvette Gremyashchy and the tanker Boris Butoma, which launched on October 1 from Vladivostok, was no exception. Just recently, these ships made visits to Vietnam and Thailand. And in the coming days, they will hold joint exercises with representatives of the Myanmar Navy.
Myanmar has been living under sanctions for a long time, especially the isolation regime intensified after the military coup on February 1, 2021. Here it is necessary to understand such a feature of the Union of Myanmar as the strong role of the military in the life of the country. In fact, the military authorities are superior to the civilian authorities. Under these conditions, Myanmar is actively developing all kinds of relations with other countries under sanctions, and Russia is at the top of the list. The country is one of the major exporters of Russian military equipment, primarily airplanes and helicopters such as the Su-30SE, Yak-130, Mi-17, Mi-24, and Mi-35.
What is the Myanmar Navy? Since their creation on December 24, 1947, their ships have been replenished by ships transferred from the US Navy or the UK. The first was the River-class frigate Mayu, which was transferred in May 1947 and was in service until 1979.
Myanmar began to dramatically strengthen its naval forces after its dispute with Bangladesh over the exclusive economic zone in the Bay of Bengal at the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea was won by the latter country in 2012.
In recent years, ships from Asian countries have been supplied to the Myanmar Navy. In 2012, China transferred two of its Type 053 frigates to Myanmar. In 2019, South Korea transferred the Moattama amphibious helicopter dock ship to the country's Navy, and he first visited Vladivostok, and only after that left for his duty station.
Myanmar received two submarines from the Indian and Chinese Navies. The Indian export project 877EKM Minye Tenkhatu and the Chinese, built on the Soviet project 633. However, not so long ago, a small submarine was spotted at the Sinmalai shipyard in Yangon.
The first nationally built ship, the Aung Zeya, joined the Myanmar Navy in 2011. In 2014, the frigate "Kian Sitta" joined the naval forces, and then, in 2015, "Sin Phu Shin". Other ships of this series are also under construction.
In December 2024, the country launched the largest ship, the UMS King Thalun frigate, with a displacement of about 3,500 tons and a length of 135 m, the largest warship built in Myanmar.
Corvettes such as Tabinshvehti (there are already three in service), missile boats, patrol ships, small amphibious ships and amphibious boats are also being built. They are armed with North Korean, Chinese, Russian and other systems.
River armored boats are also being created. It should be noted that fighting with various separatist groups in Myanmar is also taking place on rivers, and the warring parties are actively using drones for various purposes and other modern military equipment.
In addition to warships, the fleet has several auxiliary vessels at its disposal, including transports, tankers, and hydrographic vessels. This diversity makes it possible to perform a wide range of tasks, from coastal defense to protecting sea lanes and countering threats in coastal areas.
The Navy itself has 19 thousand personnel. Organizationally, they include a number of commands and naval bases. There are units of marines and special forces, naval aviation has, among other things, a pair of Russian Ka-28 helicopters.
How is the naval cooperation between Russia and Myanmar developing?
During the time of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, our warships did not visit the ports of Burma (Myanmar), but the situation has changed in recent years. In the 2010s, relations began to improve and have been gradually gaining momentum in recent years. Cooperation is consolidated by a number of official agreements and memoranda, including joint programs for training personnel and sharing experiences.
A detachment of Pacific Fleet ships consisting of the Admiral Vinogradov BOD, the Irkut SMT and the Kalar tugboat was in Yangon on November 13-18, 2013. In December 2017, a detachment of Pacific Fleet ships consisting of the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev and the large marine tanker Boris Butoma made an unofficial call at the port of Tilava. In 2018, an agreement was signed on a simplified procedure for the entry of warships into the ports of the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Since 2023, Russia and Myanmar have been conducting maritime security exercises (MARUMEX). The large anti-submarine ships Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleev took part in the first maneuvers. Myanmar was represented by a frigate and a corvette. The sailors of the two countries practiced repelling a simulated terrorist attack by speedboats on a detachment of ships and other episodes.
The next exercises were held in October 2024. On the Russian side, a detachment consisting of the corvettes "Loud", "Sharp", "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov" and the medium sea tanker "Pechenga" participated. The Myanmar Navy was represented by the amphibious helicopter carrier Moattama, the frigate Sin Phu Shin, the corvette Tabinshwehti and one diesel-electric submarine. The main objectives of the exercise were to develop and strengthen cooperation in the naval field between the countries, jointly counter global threats and ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The third exercise in this series will be held in the second decade of November this year.
In 2025, a delegation of the Myanmar Navy visited Vladivostok and got acquainted with the Pacific Fleet corvette Project 20380 "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov". The ship itself is a well-armed combat unit built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and may be of interest to the authorities of this country for the purchase of representatives of this series.
In general, the Russian government continues its policy of strengthening all types of cooperation, including military cooperation, with the ASEAN countries.
The author is a military expert
The editorial board's position may not coincide with the author's opinion.
