First time India deploying two warships to Australia’s Malabar naval exercises
While the United States and Japan are each sending one warship, the Indian Navy is contributing two vessels: the destroyer INS Kolkata and the multi-role stealth frigate INS Sahyadri.
NEW DELHI:
The US, India, Japan, and Australia navies—collectively known as the QUAD—will participate in the Malabar series of naval drills this week near the eastern coast of Australia.
This year’s manoeuvres will concentrate on interoperability while focusing on air defence, maritime operations, and the detection of underwater threats.
The 10-day event, which will be split into two stages and be hosted by the Royal Australian Navy from August 11 to 21, will be held for the first time. Sydney’s harbour phase will be followed by sea drills. HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane, two warships, will be deployed by the RAN.
The US and Japan are sending one warship each, while the Indian Navy is sending the multi-role stealth frigate INS Sahyadri and the destroyer INS Kolkata. Boeing P8I maritime surveillance aircraft will also be deployed by the navies of the US, India, and Australia.
There won’t be as many warships as in the past because no countries will be participating in the drill with submarines or aircraft carriers, according to reports. But the task will be “extremely high-end complex.”
According to them, the exercise is intended to have platform compatibility and that it is not focused at China.
Nearly a dozen warships were present in the previous Japan-led exercise in addition to planes.
These four nations support a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The IN-USN exercise that started the Malabar series of maritime drills in 1992 has evolved in terms of the complexity of the manoeuvres. Malabar welcomed the JMSDF as a permanent member in 2015. The Royal Australian Navy took part in the 2020 competition.
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