'Joint drill with France helped during Operation Raahat'

Maritime exercises like Varuna-13 between Indian and French navies have helped both the countries to combat piracy on the high seas and conduct tricky evacuation exercises like Operation Raahat, off the Yemen coast, which rescued over 5,000 Indian and foreign nationals, top officials of both the navies said on Saturday.

Flag Officer Commanding of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet Hari Kumar and Rear Admiral of the French Navy Eric Chaperon were speaking to reporters aboard INS Viraat during the course of Varuna-13, an ongoing India-French naval exercise from April 23-May 2.

The drill includes the entire gamut of maritime operations from aircraft carrier operations, anti-submarine warfare exercise and maritime interdiction operations to multi-ship replenishment exercise.

"When you practice at these exercises you arrive at common procedures, common methods, how one ship can assist the other to accomplish a joint mission... So when you practice this it helps when you actually undertake an operation," Kumar said, adding that two ships - INS Mumbai (destroyer) and INS Tarkash (frigate) - which were a part of the globally acclaimed Yemen evacuation by the Indian Navy were part of Varuna-13.

The Indian and French fleets are docked off the coast of Vasco da Gama located in south Goa, 45 km from Panaji.

"INS Mumbai had come across the French ships as well (off Yemen) who were evacuating. Because they had exercised earlier, they could communicate with each other, arrive at some common operating philosophy quickly and jointly help each other in evacuation. This is one of the benefits of exercises like Varuna," Kumar said.

Both navies have been carrying out joint naval exercises since 1983 and Varuna is currently in its 13th edition.

Apart from INS Viraat, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, the Indian Navy is represented in the exercise by another frigate, a replenishment ship Deepak, a Shishkumar class submarine, fast attack crafts, Sea Harriers, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Dorniers and Chetak helicopters.

The French Navy is represented by Europe's biggest aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers Chevailier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 and its aerial strike and surveillance assets which include the Rafale M, Strike Aircraft Super Etendard, E2C Hawkeye AWACS and helicopters Dauphin and Alouette 3.

Rear Admiral Chaperone, commander of the warship battle group led by French nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, said naval exercises between the two countries helped develop an ability to co-operate whenever the two navies collaborated in real-life scenarios like anti-piracy operations and evacuations.

"It has been useful for recent evacuation operation which took place off Yemen... Some of your ships have conducted evacuation of French citizens in Yemen and we have been very grateful for providing help to our country in such occasions," Chaperone said.