Visakhapatnam: Two Russian warships arrived in Vizag on Wednesday to participate in a joint military exercise with the Indian Navy off Vizag coast in the Bay of Bengal. The 9th edition of Indra Navy, an annual joint maritime exercise between the Indian and Russian navies began on Wednesday and will continue till December 21.
Initiated in 2003, the exercises highlight the strong and long-term strategic relationship between the two countries. The exercise has matured over the years with increase in the scope and complexity of operations and the level of participation.
The primary aim of exercise Indra Navy-16 is to increase interoperability between the two navies and to develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations.
The Indian Navy is being represented by INS Ranvir, a guided missile destroyer, INS Satpura, an indigenous frigate, and INS Kamorta, an indigenous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette.
In addition, an Indian Na-vy submarine, P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier Short Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Hawk Advan-ced Jet Trainer and other integral rotary wing helicopters are scheduled to participate in the bilateral exercise.
The Russian Federat-ion Navy (RFN) is being represented by ships from the Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok, RFN Admiral Tributs (cruiser) and Boris Butoma (fleet tanker).
The exercise will be held in two phases, the harbour phase from De-cember 14 to December 18 at Visakhapatnam and the sea phase from December 19 to Decem-ber 21 off Visakhapatnam.
The harbour phase would encompass table-top exercises, planning conferences, and professional interaction prior to progressing to sea. The sea phase would include various facets of fleet operations such as air defence drills, boarding operations, anti-surface and anti air gun firings, anti-submarine exercises with ASW rocket firing.
