JANE’S DEFENCE WEEKLY – OCTOBER 20, 2004
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Exercise ‘Malabar’ demonstrates growing Indian, US co-operation
RAHUL BEDI JDW Correspondent
New Delhi
The Indian and US navies concluded a combined exercise earlier this month in the Arabian Sea as part of growing security and military links between New Delhi and Washington.
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Alexandria, the Ticonderoga-class Aegis-guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens and the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Gary were the US Navy (USN) participants in the five-day Exercise ‘Malabar’.
A USN P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft also participated. India is negotiating with the US government to acquire eight to 10 surplus P-3s with the option of obtaining a similar number later under the US Foreign Military Sales programme.
Indian Navy (IN) ships participating included the Delhi-class destroyer INS Mysore, the Bhramaputra-class frigate INS Bhramaputra, the Shishumar-class (Type 1500) submarine INS Shankul and the Aditya-class replenishment ship INS Aditya. They were supported by a Tu-142M long-range surveillance aircraft and Sea Harrier fighters.
“The co-operation between the two navies has moved apace with the relationship between the two countries in recent years. The process has been characterised by service-to-service interaction, high-level visits, joint exercises of increasing scope and complexity, and significant co-operation in the field of military training,” an IN official statement stated.
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