India, Japan, US, Australia To Take Part In Malabar Naval Drill Off Sydney Coast

Indian Navy's indigenous frontline warships INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata will participate in the Malabar navy drill.

INS Kolkata.

Source : Indian Navy

India, Japan, the United States, and Australia will hold the Malabar navy drill off the coast of Sydney from August 11 to 21, 2023. Indian Navy's indigenous frontline warships INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata along with ships and aircraft from the US Navy (USN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will participate in the excercise, as per the official statement issued by the PIB. 

According to the statement, Malabar 2023 will be held in two stages. The Harbour stage includes a variety of activities such as cross-deck visits, professional exchanges, sporting events, and various interactions for the preparation and execution of the Sea stage.

The Sea stage will involve a variety of sophisticated and high-intensity exercises in all three domains of warfare, including anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine drills, as well as live weapon fire drills.

" The exercise provides an opportunity to the Indian Navy to enhance and demonstrate interoperability and also gain from the best practices in maritime security operations from its partner nations," reads the official statement.

"INS Sahyadri is the third ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-17 class multi-role stealth frigates and is presently commanded by Capt Rajan Kapoor. INS Kolkata is the first ship of the indigenously designed and built Project-15A class destroyers and is commanded by Capt Sharad Sinsunwal. Both ships have been built at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai and are fitted with state-of-the-art array of weapons and sensors to detect and neutralise threats in surface, air and underwater domains," further reads the statement.