Indian Navy Kicks Off First-Ever Joint Maritime Drill With France And UAE

The Indian Navy has commenced the first edition of India, France and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Maritime Partnership exercise on 7 June.

The exercise will be conducted over a two-day period in the Gulf of Oman. Participating in the exercises will be the Indian Navy Frigate INS Tarkash, the French ship Surcouf accompanied by the French Navy's Rafale aircraft, along with the UAE Navy's Maritime Patrol aircrafts.

"The exercise will witness a wide spectrum of naval operations such as surface warfare, involving tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets, helicopter cross deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercise and boarding operations," the Indian Navy said in the statement.

"The exercise will also include cross embarkation of personnel for exchange of best practices," the statement added.

The exercise aims to enhance the trilateral cooperation between the three navies and pave way for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment.

The Indian Navy statement further added that, "the exercise will also enhance collaboration in ensuring safety of mercantile trade and freedom of navigation at high seas in the region."