The exercise, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, will see Australian destroyer HMAS Hobart participating in the exercise with the Indian stealth frigate INS Sahyadri and the corvette INS Karmuk.
The exercise will also include helicopters from the two navies, while India will also deploy a P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. “The exercise, aimed at enhancing interoperability, will include advanced surface and anti-aircraft exercises that include weapons firing, seamanship exercises, naval maneuvers and flight operations across the deck,” said Navy spokesman Commander Vivek Madhwal .
“Such PASSEX (passing exercises) are regularly conducted by the Indian Navy with friendly foreign navy units, while visiting each other’s ports or during an appointment at sea,” he said.
“This exercise reflects the growing strength of the bilateral relations between India and Australia as comprehensive strategic partners, particularly in defense cooperation in the maritime arena,” he added.
While Japan has become a regular participant in the India-US high voltage naval combat exercise “Malabar” since 2015, India has not yet made the final decision to include Australia in the 24th edition of the games of war later this year.
If the move is translated into reality, a military build will be firmly added to the so-called “Quad” countries that have a shared interest in building a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific region to deter an expansionist China.
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