Mumbai: President Ram Nath Kovind on December 8 awarded the ‘President Standard’, a rare honour for its distinguished service, to the 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron, the unit that had bombed and sank Pakistan Navy’s vessels in the 1971 war.

The President said the honour is the testimony to the services rendered by the past and present officers of the squadron.

The year also marks the fifty years since the inception of the Missile Vessel Squadron, also known as the ‘Killers’ who over the past five decades have maintained the capability of delivering a credible offensive punch from the sea.

The Squadron based here has participated in Operation Vijay, Operation Parakram and most recently, during the heightened security state following the Pulwama attack in 2019 deployed within striking distance off the Pakistan coast.