The 44 personnel from nine friendly foreign countries (FFCs) undergoing training as part of the Indian Navy's Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar mission felt that they were receiving top-tier training from a strong security partner in the Indian Ocean region. Participants from the Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania have been undergoing training for the past four days at various naval professional schools in Kochi, including sessions at sea. The IOS Sagar initiative reinforces ongoing cooperation with Indian Ocean Region (IOR) nations. As part of this mission, the offshore patrol vessel, INS Sunayna, has been renamed IOS Sagar and deployed with a combined crew of Indian personnel and officers from these friendly nations. "We are receiving the best training," Kenyan Navy Major O Olang told PTI. He added that Kochi feels like home, as it closely resembles the Kenyan port city of Mombasa in many ways. "It's a great experience wo
Extending 300 m in length and 18m in width, the jetty is designed to berth various classes of Naval ships and auxiliary vessels
In another first, Navy to deploy ship with joint crew from India and nine other nations
The Indian Navy will carry out a mega wargame with several African nations next month to expand its overall defence cooperation with the continent, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new vision for engagement with the Global South. Modi announced the vision MAHASAGAR or "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions" for India's engagement with the Global South during his recent visit to Mauritius. Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti said the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples Defence Force will co-host the exercise, titled "AIKEYME" or Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement, off Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania in mid-April and it is set to be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. India and Africa have been cooperating in tackling maritime security threats, such as piracy, illegal activities including trafficking, unregulated and unreported fishing, through sharing of information and surveillance. However, the "AIKEYME" exercise
The 23rd edition of bilateral exercise Varuna between Indian and French navies culminated on Saturday, following which French Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle and INS Vikrant did a fleet review some 80 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It saw the two navies working on below the surface and above the surface warfare domain as well as interacting with Indian submarines and aircraft like MiG29Ks and Rafale. The fleet review by French Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle and INS Vikrant took place at 4pm. The senior officials from both the navies had a debriefing before the culmination of the exercise. Captain Georges Antoine Florentin, commanding officer of Charles de Gaulle, and Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, chief of the French strike group, told PTI on board the aircraft carrier that the aim was to work together to improve interoperability. Varuna 2025 that started on March 19 had an exhilarating array of maritime exercises and complex manoeuvres across the sub-surface, surface, and
To strengthen aerial surveillance, the DAC has approved the procurement of Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft systems for the Indian Air Force's battlefield awareness
Australia, India, Japan, S Korea, and the US conclude two-week Sea Dragon 2025 AWS training in Guam
INS Tarkash's assistance to the Iranian dhow underscores India's dedication to regional stability, demonstrating how the longstanding Indo-Iranian partnership extends beyond diplomacy
India concluded a three-month-long mega naval exercise in the Indian Ocean that featured more than 65 warships, 10 submarines and over 80 aircraft amid China's increasing maritime activities in the region. The theatre of operations for the exercise was from the Strait of Hormuz in the West to the Sunda and Lombok Straits in the East. The Indian Navy said the Theatre Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX) marked the successful culmination of an intense operational campaign designed to assess the force's operational preparedness and material readiness for combat. It reaffirmed the Navy's commitment to remain a "combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-ready force", it said. "TROPEX witnessed participation of 65-70 Indian Naval ships, 9-10 submarines and over 80 aircraft of different types," the Navy said. "The exercise achieved a very high level of operational synergy in planning and execution of theatre level scenarios with the other services," it said. "It witnessed extensive ...
Mumbai Police has started an investigation into an alleged fraud of Rs 77.52 crore at the United Services Club here, police and Defence officials said on Thursday. Financial discrepancies at the 97-year-old tri-services establishment came to light during a routine audit a few months ago, a Defence PRO said. The case has been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police, officials said. A complaint regarding the alleged fraud was recently lodged at the Cuffe Parade Police Station here by a Navy captain on the instructions of the Western Naval Command headquarters. "The United Services Club, Colaba, is a 97 years old Tri-Services Club. A few months earlier, as part of a routine audit, a discrepancy was noticed by the Secretary of the Club. This led to a special audit by the contracted CA and, subsequently, detailed scrutiny of the financial accounts were undertaken on instructions of the Club Management, whereupon significant anomalies were discovered," a Defence PRO ..
India has successfully test fired a first-of-its-kind naval anti-ship missile from Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The trials carried out on Tuesday demonstrated the missile's capability against ship targets, the defence ministry said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy for successfully conducting the flight tests of the missile. The DRDO and the Navy carried out successful flight-trials of first-of-its-kind Naval Anti-Ship missile (NASM-SR) from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, the ministry said. "The trials demonstrated the missile's capability against ship targets while launched from an Indian Naval Seaking helicopter," the ministry said. It said the "trials have proven the missile's Man-in-Loop feature and scored a direct hit on a small ship target in sea-skimming mode at its maximum range." The missile uses an indigenous imaging infra-red seeker for terminal guidance. The missio
Two Iranian warships are currently on a goodwill and training visit to Mumbai, in a step towards enhanced cooperation in the maritime domain and strengthening mutual friendship, the Indian Navy said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Mission Commander and the Commanding Officers of the two ships, IRIS Boushehr and IRIS Lavan, called on Rear Admiral Vidyadhar Harke, Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at Headquarters Western Naval Command. Their discussions focused on mutual interests and the training curricula of both navies. The flotilla, carrying nearly 220 officer cadets, is on a training mission in the Indian Ocean. The ships were accorded a warm welcome by the Indian Navy with band in attendance. The deployment is led by Captain Mohammad Saberi as Mission Commander, with Senior Captain Seyed Ali Madani commanding the Lavan and Commander Hamed Bahramian commanding the Boushehr, the Indian Navy said. "The Iranian Navy's training flotilla, comprising IRIS Boushehr and IRIS Lavan, is on
Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has said India's semiconductor policy is essentially "new oil for the economy" and important to improve the country's defence manufacturing. Speaking at an event here on Monday, he also asked the private sector to take the lead in order to make the country self-reliant. If India has to become self-reliant, then the private industry must take the lead in defence manufacturing, he said. The Ministry of Defence has set aside Rs 450 crore this year for the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme, which aims to help startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) innovate, Admiral Tripathi said. "The MoD has earmarked 75 per cent of our modernisation budget for the defence industry, which is almost Rs 1 lakh crore. And out of that, 25 per cent has been earmarked for the private defence industry in this budget. This year, Rs 450 crore has been successfully allocated for iDEX scheme," he said. Since its inception in 2018, the iDEX has signed
The new conventional vessels could take on key wartime roles of nuclear submarines, including saturation attacks on aircraft carriers and long-range precision strikes on land targets
A senior Coast Guard official has said synergy among friendly countries is necessary for the "common and global cause" of the safety of mariners at sea. V Anbarasan, Chief of Staff, Coast Guard Region (West), also emphasised the importance of Search and Rescue (SAR) coordination training, speaking after presiding over the valedictory ceremony of the 'MRCC OPS & SAR' course here on Saturday. MRCC stands for the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. "He highlighted the need for enhanced collaborative and continued synergy towards fostering the linkages amongst various friendly foreign countries and for the common and global humanitarian cause for the mariners' safety at sea," an official statement said. The week-long international course on 'MRCC OPS & SAR' was held for a total of 22 trainees from six foreign countries -- Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. The course is conducted annually by the MRCC, Mumbai, of the Coast Guard Regional HQs (West) ...
The Indian Navy is acquiring 26 Rafale Marine aircraft to enhance the capabilities of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya
A range of naval aviation assets, including MiG-29K -- a fourth generation carrier-borne fighter aircraft -- Seaking 42B and anti-ship helicopters will be showcased by the Indian Navy at the Aero India 2025, officials said on Sunday. Besides, the Navy will also display the Light Combat Aircraft (Navy) in the exhibition area. The aircraft is designed by Aeronautical Design Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to inaugurate the 15th edition of 'Aero India', billed as Asia's largest air show. He will also inaugurate an India Pavillion at the venue in Bengaluru. The Indian Navy will put on display in the India Pavillion a "scaled model" of its future deck borne fighter -- the Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter or TEDBF (4++ generation aircraft) -- designed by ADA, the ministry said. Indian Navy has championed the cause of 'Aatmanirbharta' wherein it has "transformed from a 'Buyer's Navy' to a 'Builder's
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has said that his force will continue to safeguard India's maritime interests "anytime, anywhere, anyhow". The Chief of the Naval Staff made the remarks at the Indian Navy Chiefs' Conclave held at the new Nausena Bhawan here on Saturday. The conclave aims to gain from the collective experience and knowledge of the eight former naval chiefs who attended the event, a Navy spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. These former chiefs were presented with an operational update, including policy initiatives, technological, material and operational logistics advancements and perspective plans, the spokesperson said. "We are committed to carrying forward your illustrious legacy and the Indian Navy will continue to safeguard India's national maritime interests, anytime, anywhere, anyhow," the statement quoted the Navy chief as saying. At the conclave, a session -- 'Manthan' -- was also conducted to deliberate on key issues of interest, fostering an op
The acquisition of French Rafale M naval jets will enable the Indian Navy to operate these aircraft from its two aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya
Instead of pursuing a three-aircraft carrier fleet, which would have kept two ships operational at all times, the Navy is reportedly focusing on a second indigenous ship to replace INS Vikramaditya