India, US to carry out two-day mega naval drill in Indian Ocean from today

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High tempo operations during the two-day exercise will include advanced air defence exercises, cross deck helicopter operations and anti-submarine exercises, said officials of Indian Navy. The air force said that the assets to be a part of the exercise would come with Jaguars and Su-30 MKI fighters.

Indian Naval Ships (INS) Kochi and Teg, along side P-8I and MiG-29K aircraft, will participate during a Passage Exercise with USS Reagan during its transit through Indian Ocean Region, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The two-day exercise will begin on Wednesday, which officials said reflects the growing operational cooperation between the 2 navies.

According to the ministry, the warships, along side aircraft from Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, are going to be engaged in joint multi-domain operations with the carrier strike group comprising Nimitz class carrier Reagan , Arleigh Burke class missile destroyer USS Halsey and Ticonderoga class missile cruiser USS Shiloh.

A carrier strike group may be a mega naval fleet comprising an carrier , amid an outsized number of destroyers, frigates and other ships.

High tempo operations during the two-day exercise will include advanced air defence exercises, cross deck helicopter operations and anti-submarine exercises. The participating forces will endeavour to hone their war-fighting skills and enhance their interoperability as an integrated force to market peace, security and stability within the maritime domain, said officials.

Indian Navy and United States Navy regularly undertake a number of bilateral and multilateral exercises which underscore the shared values as partner navies, in ensuring commitment to an open, inclusive and a rule-based international order.

The air force said that the assets to be a part of the exercise would come with Jaguars and Su-30 MKI fighters, AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) and air-to-air refueller aircraft.

In a statement, it said the US carrier strike group is predicted to field F-18 fighters and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, adding that the exercise are going to be administered south of Thiruvananthapuram.