A message to China? India sends largest ever fleet for naval exercise

July 06, 2017 22:07

In less than a week from now, MiG-29K fighter jets flying off the deck of India's only operational aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya will be 'taking on' state of the art US Navy F/A-18 E/F 'Super Hornet' fighters over the waters of the Bay of Bengal in what will be the largest, most complex Naval war games India has ever participated in.

The Malabar exercises, as they are known, pit, for the first time, the most advanced Russian built carrier-borne fighter jet in service, the MiG-29K, against the US Super Hornet, perhaps the most formidable fighter jet ever deployed by the US on its aircraft carriers.

In addition to the Vikramaditya, its flagship, the Indian Navy will also be deploying some of its most capable warships, submarines and maritime reconnaissance platforms including two Made-in-India Shivalik class stealth frigates, two Russian-built Ranvir class destroyers in addition to the indigenous Kamorta class anti-submarine warfare corvette and a Kora class multi-role corvette.

A fleet tanker that replenishes the ships out at sea will also be a key part of the operations in addition to a Russian built Kilo class diesel-electric submarine and US built Boeing P8-I maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

The Malabar exercises come at a time when India, the US and Japan have serious concerns on the dramatic growth and deployment of the Chinese Navy. While Japan and the US are deeply concerned about the expanding Chinese presence in the contentious South China Seas and Western Pacific region, India is concerned about the large deployment of Chinese submarines, warships and tankers in the Indian Ocean.

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