Navy completes Tropex war drills in Indian Ocean Region

The then Navy Chief D.K. Joshi, witnessing flying operations onboard the aircraft carrier INS Viraat during the month-long Tropex exercise of the combined Eastern and Western Fleets in Bay of Bengal on Feb 14, 2014. Photo: Special Arrangement

The Navy has successfully completed one of its largest war drills spread over Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal region and involving its frontline assets such as INS Chakra and 75 combat and surveillance aircraft.

“The Navy’s major annual exercise Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX) concluded on Friday involving large scale naval manoeuvres in all three dimensions surface, air and underwater, across the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR),” a Navy release said on Saturday.

The month-long exercise was aimed at assessing the operational readiness of naval units, validate the Navy’s war fighting doctrine and integrate newly included capabilities in its ‘Concept of Operations’, it said.

Around 60 ships and submarines along with 75 aircraft took part in this exercise, which saw participation of units from Air Force and Coast Guard.

The exercise also saw the maiden participation by the newly acquired P 8I Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft and the nuclear submarine, Chakra.

The exercise also provided the Navy with an opportunity to validate its network centric warfare capabilities, with effective utilisation of its recently launched satellite GSAT-7.