Indian, Russian navies conduct joint exercise

NAVAL TECHNOLOGY
10 December 2015
The navies of India and Russia are conducting a bilateral maritime exercise, Indra Navy-15, in the Bay of Bengal Sea, India.
Being conducted to strengthen strategic relationship between the two countries, the exercise is aimed at increasing interoperability between the two navies, and developing a common understanding of procedures for maritime security operations.
The 8th edition of the Indra Navy exercise will involve two phases, the harbour phase that will run from 7 to 9 December at Visakhapatnam and the sea phase will run from 10 to 12 December off the coast of Visakhapatnam, India.
"The exercise will focus on bolstering skills of the participating personnel with wide-ranging professional interactions."
During the Harbour phase, the exercise will focus on bolstering skills of the participating personnel with wide-ranging professional interactions, such as table-top exercises and planning conferences ashore.
The sea phase will include operational activities at sea across a spectrum of maritime operations.
The Indian Navy assets will include INS Sahyadri, an indigenous frigate; INS Ranvijay, a guided missile destroyer; INS Shakti, a fleet support ship; a submarine, INS Sindhuvir; the P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft; the Dornier short-range maritime patrol aircraft, the Hawk advanced jet trainer, and other integral rotary wing helicopters.
The Russian Federation Navy (RFN) will be represented by the Varyag (cruiser), the Bystry (destroyer), the Alatau (rescue ocean going tug), and the Boris Butoma (fleet tanker).
Indra Navy-15 has been conducted since 2003 and will help both the navies to further strengthen mutual confidence and interoperability, and also enable sharing of best practises.