In a boost to defense cooperation with Vietnam, India handed over its missile-equipped warship ‘INS Kirpan’ as a gift to Vietnam on 22 July 2023. However, this may cause objection to China as Vietnam has a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea region. Even after this, India has taken this step without worrying about China.
INS Kirpan
- INS Kirpan is a Khukri class missile corvette.
- It is manned by approximately 12 officers and 100 sailors. It is 90 meters long by 10.45 meters wide and has a maximum displacement of 1,450 tonnes.
- It was commissioned into the Navy on 12 January 1991.
- It is fitted with surface-to-surface missiles.
- It is capable of performing a variety of roles including coastal and offshore patrolling, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations.
- The transfer of Saber is one such example in which India and Vietnam look forward to enhance their partnership in the field of submarine rescue assistance and cooperation as well as maintenance.
- The development assumes significance amid growing Chinese influence in the South China Sea, which is fueling territorial disputes with Vietnam in the region.
- As a country, Vietnam has been an ally of India and has always resisted Chinese pressure over the years.
key points
- The Defense Minister had announced the gifting of INS Kirpan to Vietnam during the visit of his Vietnamese counterpart on 19 June 2023. INS Kirpan is an indigenously built missile corvette.
- The transfer of INS Kirpan from the Indian Navy to the VPN (Vietnam People’s Navy) is symbolic of the Indian Navy’s status of being the ‘Security Partner of Choice’ in the Indian Ocean Region.
- This will certainly be a catalyst for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between the two navies.
- This underlines the deep friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam.
- This is the first time India is gifting a fully operational Corvette to a friendly country.
India Vietnam Cooperation
- India and Vietnam have been close political allies since the 1950s and have supported each other’s stand on major international issues such as the South China Sea dispute.
- India and Vietnam have been cooperating on security issues for many years. In recent years, both countries have enhanced security cooperation in response to growing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
- This cooperation includes joint exercises, intelligence sharing and maritime security.
- Hanoi has bought 12 high speed patrol boats under a $100 million Line of Credit (LoC) extended in September 2014.
- In 2016, India extended another defense LOC worth $500 million, due to which discussions are underway to identify the equipment.
- India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defense cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership.
- Vietnam is an important partner in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Indo-Pacific vision.
- This includes wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including defense policy dialogue, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programmes, UN peacekeeping cooperation, ship visits and bilateral exercises.
- The two countries had signed a Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defense Partnership by 2030 and an agreement on Mutual Logistics Support to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation between them.
- Other countries including Vietnam are considering buying BrahMos supersonic missiles from India.