Exercise Konkan Shakti - 2021 To Commence Between India And Uk Navies

The naval link between India and the United Kingdom is one of antiquity and, over a period, it has grown substantially in complexity and synergy. Over decades now, both navies have undertaken bilateral exercises, exchanges and enhanced their technical cooperation. Rightly so, this has formed the basis for the maiden tri-service bilateral exercise, 'Konkan Shakti -21', scheduled between 21 and 27 Oct 21. Participation of marines, infantry units, naval warships and aircraft, and Indian Air Force elements off the Konkan coast of India will make the exercise an important milestone in jointmanship between the two nations. Land forces will pursue service-specific exercises at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, while naval and Air Force elements will be engaged at sea. The initial segment of the exercise at sea would be in a multi-service joint theatre, followed by exercises purely in the maritime domain. The exercise is scheduled to be held in three phases. The harbour phase is planned at Mumbai from 21-23 Oct 21, while at sea, the joint phase will be conducted from 24 25 Oct 21, followed by a single service phase from 25-27 Oct 21. The Royal Navy has confirmed the participation of its aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, with her integral F35 fighter aircraft and helicopters, along with the Type 45 Daring Class air-defence destroyer HMS Defender, the Type 23 frigate, HMS Richmond, a royal fleet auxiliary (RFA), Fort Victoria, and a Royal Netherland navy frigate, HNLMS Evertsen. The Indian Navy (IN) is geared to participate with three of its indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyers, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Chennai, along with two stealth frigates, INS Talwar and INS Teg, and tanker INS Aditya . The IN will also be participating with integral Sea King 42B, Kamov-31 and Chetak helicopters, MIG 29K fighter aircraft, Dornier and P8i (maritime patrol aircraft) and a Scorpene class submarine. The thrust of the naval theatre of the exercise at sea would primarily be on joint air-tactical operations involving F358s, MiG 29Ks and Indian Air Force elements. The exercise will also feature advanced warfare tactics, over-the-horizon targeting drills and other complex manoeuvers at sea. To facilitate smooth execution of the exercise, the harbour phase will see active interaction between planners of both navies, exchange of information by respective subject matter experts, and interaction of personnel participating in the exercise. The exercise aims to derive mutual benefits from each others' experiences and also showcase the continuing cooperation between the two countries. Naval cooperation is a distinguishable symbol of the commitment of both nations in ensuring a positive climate at sea for enhancing strategic stability and promoting global economic prosperity. The interoperability achieved over the years, as a result of such exercises, has proved to be operationally beneficial to both the navies.