Visakhapatnam: INS Kirpan, the third indigenously built Khukri class missile corvette, departed Visakhapatnam on June 28, 2023 for Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam on her last deployment flying the Indian Naval Ensign.
Officers and personnel of the Eastern Naval Command led by VAdm Sanjay Vatsayan, Chief of Staff, bid farewell to the ship at a ceremonial function at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.
The 1350 ton corvette was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 12, 1991 and has completed 32 years of illustrious service. The ship, entirely indigenous in concept, design and construction, demonstrates India’s technological advancements in the field of electronics, sensors and ship-building capabilities.
INS Kirpan is fitted with medium-range and close-range guns, chaff launchers and surface to surface missiles, enabling it to perform a wide variety of roles, including surface warfare, coastal and off- shore patrol, coastal security, anti-piracy and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
INS Kirpan is being gifted to Vietnam as a gesture of India’s friendship and highlights the close cooperation between the two navies. Gifting of Kirpan to VPN also reaffirms the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that India shares with Vietnam since 2016.
During the recent visit of Gen Phan Van Giang, Minister of Defence of Vietnam, to India from June 17-19, 2023, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had announced gifting of in-service missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam. Towards executing the same, INS Kirpan has cast-off today from Visakhapatnam on her final journey from India to Vietnam.
As part of her final journey from India to Vietnam, INS Kirpan set sail from Visakhapatnam today and will be handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy post arrival in Vietnam.
India and Vietnam share historical linkages and existing relations are strong, multifaceted and rooted on cultural and economic pillars. In the defence sector, the cooperation is based on mutual strategic interests, a shared vision for regional stability and upholding the rules based international order.
After the signing of an MoU on Defence Cooperation by the two countries in November 2009, the relations have grown over the past decade. In June 2022, the two Defence Ministers also signed a ‘Joint Vision Statement on India – Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’.
In the maritime domain, both the navies engage extensively through frequent operational interactions, structured periodic dialogues and information sharing mechanisms. This Navy to Navy cooperation also encompasses a wide array of initiatives aimed at capacity building and capability enhancement, including supply of spares, repair of ships, deputation of instructors, and regular goodwill visits by Naval Ships and delegations.
The transfer of an indigenously built in-service missile corvette, INS Kirpan, from Indian Navy to Vietnam People’s Navy reflects India’s commitment to assist its like-minded partners in enhancing their capacity and capability. The transfer of INS Kirpan to Vietnam resonates with India’s vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)’. This is the maiden occasion of gifting a fully operational corvette by India to any Friendly Foreign Country.
