Indian Navy P-8I visits Indonesia during transit from Malabar Exercise
The 27th edition of joint defence Exercise MALABAR among the naval forces of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia had taken place on the East Coast of Australia off Sydney. It concluded on Monday last.
The exercise was participated by Ships, Submarines and aircraft of the Indian Navy, Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) and the US Navy (USN).
Exercise MALABAR was conducted in two phases, which included a harbour phase from August 11-15 and a sea phase from August 16-21. INS Kolkata,a destroyer, INS Sahyadri, a frigate and a P8I maritime patrol aircraft, were the Indian Navy’s representation.
Other participating Ships included RAN ships HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane, USS Raphael Peralta, JS Shiranui, along with submarines, fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and shipborne helicopters.
The ships sailed out for the sea phase from Sydney harbour and the Air assets operated from RAAF Amberley Brisbane, where the P-8I Dets involving IN, RAAF and US P-8 crew were stationed.
The sea phase of Ex Malabar witnessed complex and high-intensity exercises in air, surface and undersea domains, weapon firings and cross-deck helicopter operations.
The joint exercises at sea honed the war-fighting skills and enhanced interoperability between the four navies to undertake advanced maritime operations.
The seamless integration of air assets also showcased the exceptional coordination and interoperability between the Indian, Australian and US maritime patrol aircraft units.
At the culmination of five days of multifarious exercises, Exercise MALABAR vividly showcased the strong cooperation, shared values and the collective ability of the four participating nations to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific promoting peace and security for all.
Thereafter on the return journey, the Indian Navy’s P-8I, Multi Role Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft landed at Jakarta Airport. During the stoppage, the aircraft took part in the complete gamut of military, constabulary, benign and diplomacy roles of the Indian Navy.
On the occasion, India’s Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty visited the aircraft and interacted with the crew where he discussed growing cooperation between India and Indonesia in the maritime security domain.
While the Ambassador was briefed on the various MDA upgrades and ASW operations being carried out by the powerful P-8I aircraft in the IOR.
