NEW DELHI: Navy today concluded its month-long annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which saw around 50 ships and submarines in action along with over 70 aircraft from three Naval Commands.
The exercise also saw participation of units from the India Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard.
The area of operations spanned the Arabian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean and was aimed at validating the Indian Navy's Concept of Operations.
During this exercise, the Navy had deployed two Carrier Task Forces simultaneously at sea, with both Viraat and Vikramaditya operating with their integral flights in an operational scenario.
This assumes significance as it makes the Indian Navy, besides the US Navy, capable of deploying more than one Carrier Task Force at sea, at present.
TROPEX also saw extensive deployment of the nuclear submarine Chakra, the recently inducted P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft, the recently commissioned guided missile destroyer Kolkata and Anti Submarine Warfare corvette Kamorta.
The exercise was witnessed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who spent a night on-board Vikramaditya.
Incidentally, the periscope of Russian-origin Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhughosh was damaged when a fishing boat hit it during the exercise.
The exercise provided the right opportunity for the Navy to integrate these acquisitions into its war-fighting concepts, an official statement said.
The exercise also served to reinforce the Indian Navy's offensive capabilities across all dimensions, including Network Centric Operations, wherein, the indigenous satellite Rukmani was extensively utilised.
The Navy also underscored its Op Logistics capability to effectively sustain Fleet Operations for extended periods at large distances, it said.
The exercise also reinforced the Navy's ability to serve in different roles with relative ease, when it exercised a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission, as part of the build up to the main phase of the exercise.
This exercise was conducted against the backdrop of the Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands having been struck by a super cyclone.