OREANDA-NEWS Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh took part in the ceremony of handing over the last of 12 high-speed patrol boats to Vietnam, the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade reported citing The Hindu, Gazeta.ru reported.

It is noted that the boats were built as part of a $100 million loan granted by New Delhi to Hanoi. India and Vietnam have also signed an agreement to expand the "scope and scale" of defense ties by 2030 and a logistics support pact allowing the armed forces to use each other's bases for repairs and resupply.

Construction of the first of the 12 boats ordered reportedly began at L&T's facility in India in August 2019. The boat was handed over to Vietnam in December 2020. The boats are 35 meters long and can reach a maximum speed of 35 knots. The boats are equipped with modern navigation, surveillance and defense systems. The ships will be used by the Vietnam Coast Guard to combat smugglers, pirates and conduct search and rescue operations.

Earlier it was reported that the Indian Navy prepared two Soviet-built warships - INS Nishank and INS Akshay - for withdrawal from the fleet and decommissioning.