Indian Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar said that the Indian Navy will receive Governmental support in order to remain influential in the Indian Ocean.
The Minister addressed the sailors and officers of the INS Vikramaditya after witnessing two days’ of Theatre Readiness Operational Level Exercise (TROPEX-2015), off the coast of Goa in the Arabian Sea. TROPEX provides the Navy a valuable opportunity to validate its concept of operations and integration of new acquisitions with the Fleet.
New weapons, sensors, communication systems and tactics were being tested and tried to optimize the net combat power of the fleets. Over forty surface combatants of various classes including the two aircraft carriers (Vikramaditya and Viraat), submarines including the INS Chakra, a large number of aircraft and UAVs are participating in the exercise. As would be the case in any operation of the twenty first century, the exercise had a jointmanship element of IAF with participation by aircraft such as Sukhois, Mirages and Jaguars.
During the embarkation, the dignitaries were provided an overview of the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy. The Navy demonstrated multiple facets of operations during the period which encompassed a variety of weapon firings, MiG 29K and Sea Harrier operations from the two aircraft carriers, integration of the P8I aircraft with fleet, and operations by the Navy’s Marine Commandos.
After many years, the Navy has deployed two Carrier Task Forces during the exercise. The Defence Minister also witnessed a successful and impressive vertical launch of the Brahmos, supersonic long range anti-shipping cruise missile, from the recently commissioned stealth destroyer INS Kolkata.
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