EXERCISE KONKAN 2021

Ministry of Defence

Context:

Recently Exercise Konkan 2021 was held between INS Tabar and HMS Westminster

Key Highlights:

• Exercise Konkan 2021 was held between INS Tabar and HMS Westminster
• The exercise held on 16 Aug 21 in the English Channel.
• The exercise included the participation of integral helicopters of the two ships   and the Falcon Electronic Warfare aircraft.
• A wide range of exercises including co-ordinated anti-submarine procedures, firing drills, combined maritime picture compilation, combat formation maneuvering and replenishment at sea were conducted. 
• These along with the diverse professional engagements held earlier in harbour, have enabled Exercise Konkan 2021 consolidate interoperability and helped cement the strong bonds of friendship the between the two navies.

About EXERCISE KONKAN:

• It is annual bilateral maritime exercise
• Exercise KONKAN, named after the Western coastal region of India, was institutionalised in 2004. Since then, the exercise hosted in rotation by both the Navies, has grown in complexity, scale and intensity.
• For this edition, Royal Navy was represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer equipped with integral Wildcat helicopter.
• The Indian Navy fielded INS Kolkata, the first ship of latest Kolkata class destroyers, equipped with integral Seaking and an IN submarine.
• In addition, IN maritime patrol aircraft, Dornier will also participate in the exercise.
• The naval exercise Konkan 18 is held in between the navies of India and United Kingdom. It is based on the long-term strategic relationship between them. This exercise provides a platform for the Navies to periodically conduct exercise at sea and in harbour in order to build interoperability and share best practices.

Key facts-

• The regular IN-RN interaction over the years has resulted in an increase in the professional content of the bilateral exercise.
• The thrust of the exercise this year would be on Anti-Air warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) and Seamanship Evolutions.
• Besides exercises at sea, KONKAN-2018 also encompasses professional interactions and sports fixtures.

Importance of this exercise-

• The exercise is aimed at deriving mutual benefit from each others’ experiences and is indicative of the continuing cooperation between the two countries.
• The inter-operability achieved over the years as a result of such exercises has proved to be operationally beneficial to both navies.
• The naval cooperation is a tangible symbol of the commitment of both nations in ensuring a positive climate at sea for enhancing strategic stability and promoting economic prosperity.
• Exercise Konkan is a great opportunity to reinforce the India-UK defence partnership, deepening understanding of how both the Navies can work together to counter maritime threats. This sits alongside a wide range of UK activity in Indian Ocean – covering military, multilateral and commercial engagement.

INS Tabar

INS Tabar is the third Talwar-class frigate in Indian Navy, which was commissioned on April 19, 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. Captain Mahesh Mangipudi is the current Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Tabar. It reached the home-port of Mumbai on July 31, 2004. INS Tabar is assigned to Western Naval Command of Indian Navy, which is headquartered in Mumbai. This warship can handle air or surface or subsurface missions and defend herself.

HMS Westminster

It is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, which was launched on February 4,1992. It has been named after Dukedom of Westminster.

Joint Military Exercise-  Navy

Source: PIB

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