INS KIRPAN (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 - IR)

Context: In the first-ever instance of India offering a fully operational missile corvette to Vietnam, the Navy decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed it over to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) - reflecting the growing defence ties and strategic partnership between New Delhi and Hanoi.

INS Kirpan

• INS Kirpan—which is an indigenously-built missile corvette—was decommissioned after completing 32 years of service to be gifted to Vietnam. 
• It was handed over to VPN with a complete weapon complement. 
• Since its commissioning in 1991, the ship has been an integral part of the Navy’s Eastern Fleet and has participated in several operations.
• The transfer of INS Kirpan from the Indian Navy to the Vietnam People’s Navy symbolises the status of the Indian Navy of being the ‘Preferred Security partner’ in the Indian Ocean Region and would be a catalyst for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between the two navies, the Navy said in a statement.
• The bilateral defence engagements between both countries have expanded over the years and includes wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including Defence Policy Dialogues, military to military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programmes, cooperation in UN Peacekeeping, ship visits and bilateral exercises.