Air Chief Marshal AP Singh begins three-day visit to Vietnam to bolster defence ties
For the past decade, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been training Vietnamese pilots in flying and maintaining Sukhoi-30 fighter jets
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Monday commenced his three-day visit to Vietnam. For the past decade, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been training Vietnamese pilots in flying and maintaining Sukhoi-30 fighter jets. Both the IAF and Vietnamese Air Force operate separate variants of the Russian-origin aircraft.
Air Chief Marshal Singh was accorded a ceremonial welcome by the Air Defence-Air Force Service of the Vietnam People’s Army. He later held bilateral talks with Lieutenant General Vũ Hồng Sơn, Commander of the Air Defence-Air Force Service.
“The two sides reviewed the status of ongoing defence cooperation and exchanged views on new directions for collaboration to continue consolidating and strengthening the existing bilateral partnership,” the Indian Embassy in Vietnam said in a statement.
The visit demonstrates the commitment of both sides to further deepen the ‘enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership’ between India and Vietnam, the embassy added.
Prior to the official engagements, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Tshering W Sherpa met the IAF chief and briefed him on the evolving India-Vietnam bilateral relationship.
The two nations share deep military ties. Apart from IAF training Vietnamese pilots, the Indian Navy has also trained the Vietnamese Navy in operating Russian-origin Kilo-class submarines.
India has provided a grant of USD 1 million to build a foreign language classroom at Vietnam’s Air Force Officer School. Indian assistance also helped establish an Artificial Intelligence laboratory at Telecommunications University in Nha Trang.
The IAF and Vietnamese Air Force could also be partners in maintaining the fleet of Airbus C-295 transport aircraft. The IAF operates the aircraft and Vietnam also has a small fleet. Airbus, in collaboration with Tata, has set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India.
India and Vietnam signed a defence cooperation agreement in March 2000. Under the pact, India overhauled Vietnam’s fleet of MiG-21 aircraft and provided training assistance for Vietnamese fighter pilots and technicians. Follow-on spare parts support continued through 2006.
Current cooperation between the two countries includes joint exercises, defence policy dialogue, joint research and co-development of technologies, and increased port calls by naval vessels and Air Force aircraft.
