Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kirpan was given a grand see-off ceremony as it left Visakhapatnam for Vietnam on its last deployment on Wednesday.
After having completed 32 years of glorious service to the Indian Navy, the indigenously-built, 1350-tonne missile Corvette is being gifted to Vietnam in a reaffirmation of the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The decision was announced after the bilateral talks held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and General Phan Van Giang, the Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, in New Delhi on June 19.
INS Kirpan, the third Khukri class missile corvette, is capable of speed in excess of 25 knots and fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, and chaff launchers besides surface-to-surface missiles.
The features enable the ship to perform a wide variety of roles including coastal and off-shore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
In continuation of @DefenceMinIndia announcement on #19Jun 23 of gifting of an indigenously built in-service Missile Corvette #INSKirpan to Vietnam, Kirpan has cast-off today from #Visakhapatnam & departed on her final journey under Indian Tricolour to #Vietnam.@IN_HQENC pic.twitter.com/dZ2630Zkww
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 28, 2023
It will further enhance the capabilities of the Southeast Asian country’s Navy which is constantly tackling China’s strategic expansion in the region.
Last year, during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Hanoi, India handed over 12 High-Speed Guard Boats to Vietnam People’s Navy.
The state-of-the-art boats were handed over by Singh in a ceremony organised at Hong Ha Shipyard in Hai Phong as Singh invited Vietnam to become a part of India’s defence industrial transformation through enhanced cooperation that will take forward PM Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’.
