Varuna Day Two

Varuna Day Two

The second day of Sea Phase of Exercise Varuna 19 saw participation of fighter aircraft, helicopters and coordinated exercises between ships. The day commenced with a submarine exercise with dedicated Maritime Reconnaissance phase and ship phase to detect the submerged submarine. Air Defence Exercise (ADEX) between the Task Groups ‘Delhi’ and ‘Paris’ progressed with larger number of fighters participating from both sides. To enhance the complexity of air defence, controls of the fighters were handed over to destroyers of each group by the respective aircraft carriers. ADEX for the day terminated with the MiGs of INS Vikramaditya guiding the Rafale fighter jets from Charles de Gaulle in a planned firing exercise on Pigeon Island. Whilst the airborne units were engaged in combat, the fleet support ships of both the groups undertook token fuelling during underway replenishment to evaluate nuances of both navies in coordinated support role. The day ended with a combined coordinated gunnery firing exercise on ‘Banshee’, an air launched target.