TL;DR : India and the UK began Exercise Konkan 2025 on October 5 with both countries’ aircraft carriers participating together for the first time. The 8-day naval exercise focuses on improving military cooperation, air and sea operations, and regional security in the Indo-Pacific.
🔹 What Happened
- Exercise Konkan 2025 began on October 5, 2025, in the Western Indian Ocean, off India’s western coast.
- For the first time, both nations’ carrier strike groups (CSGs) are taking part together:
- INS Vikrant leads the Indian side.
- HMS Prince of Wales leads the UK side.
- The exercise will be held in two phases (Oct 5–12):
- A harbour phase with professional, cultural, and planning activities.
- A sea phase with complex maritime drills, including anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, cross-deck flying operations, and seamanship evolutions.
🔹 Participants and Assets
- Indian Navy: INS Vikrant (with MiG-29Ks), destroyers, frigates, submarines, ALH and Kamov helicopters, and P-8I aircraft.
- Royal Navy: HMS Prince of Wales (with F-35B jets), destroyers, frigates, an Astute-class submarine, and support ships.
- Multilateral Participation: The UK’s CSG includes assets from Norway and Japan under Operation Highmast, adding a broader strategic element.
🔹 Purpose and Strategic Context
- The goal is to enhance interoperability, boost joint readiness, and support maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The exercise reflects the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (Vision 2035) and aligns with the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt and India’s Act East Policy.
- Operations include cross-deck aircraft operations, simulated combat, joint patrols, and humanitarian response drills.
🔹 What’s Next
- The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG-25) will make port visits to Mumbai and Goa after the exercise ends on October 12, 2025.
- On October 14, CSG-25 will conduct a one-day joint exercise with the Indian Air Force before continuing its deployment.
🔹 Official Statements
- Indian Navy: Exercise Konkan 2025 "fosters enhanced interoperability and mutual understanding" and strengthens bilateral defense ties.
- UK Ministry of Defence: The joint drills are a "reaffirmation of the shared commitment to ensuring secure, open and free seas."