Union Minister for Defence A.K. Antony arrived here on Tuesday for a ‘Day at Sea' onboard the warships of the Indian Navy, comprising both Eastern and Western Fleets, off Visakhapatnam.
He was accompanied by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma and was received on arrival at INS Dega by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra.
The Minister visited the indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik at sea and is scheduled to spend the night onboard the Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat.
According to a spokesman of the Indian Navy here, he will witness the entire gamut of Naval operations including missile and rocket firings, air power demonstration, interceptor missions involving fighter aircraft of the Navy and the Air Force and several evolutions like underway replenishment, multi ship jackstay and combat freefall.
Mr. Antony will also interact with officers and men of the Navy onboard the fleet ships. Ships, submarines, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles of the Indian Navy, ships and aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Air Force are scheduled to take part in an exercise codenamed ‘Tropex 2012,' commencing off Visakhapatnam. The major annual exercise is aimed at testing the Navy's preparedness in dealing with contingencies.
