T he navies of India, France and the United Arab Emirates carried out a two-day trilateral maritime exercise in the Gulf of Oman reflecting their growing cooperation to deal with challenges in the maritime sphere.
The first edition of this mega wargame that ended on Friday witnessed a range of naval operations such as surface warfare, including tactical firing and drills, and advanced air defence exercises.
“Maiden #India-#France-#UAE trilateral #MaritimePartnershipExercise commenced #07Jun in the Gulf of Oman. #INSTarkash & French Ship #FSSurcouf both with integral helos, French Rafale aircraft & UAE Navy MPA are participating in the exercise. @MarineNationale @DefenceMinIndia @IN_WNC,” the Indian Navy tweeted. The Maritime Partnership involving the navies of the three countries commenced on 7 June, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
The trilateral exercise included naval operations such as surface warfare- tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets- as well as helicopter cross-deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercises, and boarding operations including the cross-embarkation of personnel. Indian Naval ship INS Tarkash, French ship Surcouf, French Rafale aircraft and the UAE Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft participated in the exercise that began on Wednesday. Officials said the exercise aimed to enhance trilateral cooperation between the three navies and pave the way for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment.