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In newest transfer in direction of rising ties, India palms over missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam

INS Kirpan — which is an indigenously-built missile corvette — was decommissioned after finishing 32 years of service to be gifted to Vietnam. It was handed over to VPN with an entire weapon complement.

INS Kirpan decommissionedIndian and Vietnamese Navy officers through the decommissioning ceremony of INS Kirpan that has now been handed over to Vietnam Folks’s Navy with full weapon complement, in Cam Ranh, Vietnam, Saturday, July 22, 2023. (PTI Photograph)

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Within the first-ever occasion of India providing a completely operational missile corvette to Vietnam, the Navy on Saturday decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed it over to Vietnam Folks’s Navy (VPN)—reflecting the rising defence ties and strategic partnership between New Delhi and Hanoi.

The handing over ceremony came about at Cam Ranh in Vietnam and was presided over by Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Employees, Indian Navy and Rear Adm Pham Manh Hung, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Employees, VPN.

INS Kirpan—which is an indigenously-built missile corvette—was decommissioned after finishing 32 years of service to be gifted to Vietnam. It was handed over to VPN with an entire weapon complement. Since its commissioning in 1991, the ship has been an integral a part of the Navy’s Japanese Fleet and has participated in a number of operations.

It’s manned by about 12 officers and 100 sailors and is 90 meters lengthy and 10.45 meters in width with a most displacement of 1,450 tons.

Underlining the deep-rooted friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar mentioned what made the event much more vital is the truth that that is the first-ever event that India is providing a fully-operational corvette to any Pleasant International Nation.

“It’s a matter of nice honour for me to be part of the handing over ceremony of one of many best and longest-serving warships of the Indian Navy – Kirpan, to the esteemed Vietnam Folks’s Navy,” he mentioned.

The switch of INS Kirpan from the Indian Navy to the Vietnam Folks’s Navy symbolises the standing of the Indian Navy of being the ‘Most popular Safety companion’ within the Indian Ocean Area and could be a catalyst for enhancing the prevailing bilateral relations between the 2 navies, the Navy mentioned in a press release.

The event is important amid a rising Chinese language affect within the South China sea, which is giving rise to territorial disputes with Vietnam within the area. As a rustic, Vietnam has been a detailed Indian ally and has all the time resisted Chinese language strain on them over time.

In a go to to Vietnam in June final yr, defence minister Rajnath Singh met his counterpart within the nation Normal Phan Van Giang in Hanoi. A number of key choices had been taken through the go to, together with on the finalisation of the $500 million Defence Line of Credit score prolonged to Vietnam.

Each international locations had signed a Joint Imaginative and prescient Assertion on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership in direction of 2030 and had inked a pact on Mutual Logistics Assist to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation between them.

India had then additionally handed over 12 high-speed guard boats to Vietnam at a ceremony on the Hong Ha Shipyard.

In the course of the go to, the defence minister then had additionally introduced gifting two simulators and financial grant in direction of establishing of Language and IT Lab at Air Pressure Officers Coaching Faculty for capability constructing of Vietnamese Armed Forces.

Vietnam, amongst others, have been looking to buy BrahMos supersonic missiles from India.

The bilateral defence engagements between each international locations have expanded over time and consists of wide-ranging contacts between the 2 international locations, together with Defence Coverage Dialogues, army to army exchanges, high-level visits, capability constructing and coaching programmes, cooperation in UN Peacekeeping, ship visits and bilateral workout routines.

First revealed on: 23-07-2023 at 16:58 IST



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