NEW DELHI: In a display of capability and teamwork with international maritime forces, the Indian Navy carried out its first mating exercise with foreign submarines away from Indian shores.
The Navy said on Saturday it had "successfully achieved maiden mating with foreign submarines in South China Sea (SCS) during XPR-25 (Exercise Pacific Reach-2025) conducting full spectrum of Intervention and Rescue Operations. Three successful mates including ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) operations over three days showcased our growing global rescue capabilities."
Describing the exercise as a "milestone", the Navy added it "underscores our readiness, interoperability and commitment to global submarine rescue, proving India as a dependable maritime partner and a proactive contributor to regional safety and humanitarian response at sea."
Commodore Anil Jai Singh (retired), a strategic analyst, said the achievement was part of military diplomacy and power projection. "Providing a rescue capability in time to a distressed submarine is a very visible manifestation of military diplomacy and our soft power projection," he said.
The exercise was carried out from Indian Naval Ship Nistar, the Navy’s latest indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV), which has been on its maiden port call at Changi, Singapore, since Sept. 14.
The ship, operating under the Command and Control of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, took part in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 (XPR-25), which began on Sept. 15.
The biennial submarine rescue exercise in the South China Sea brings together submarine rescue platforms and assets from various nations to streamline procedures, share best practices and enhance interoperability.
Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, hosted by Singapore, was reported to involve more than 40 nations as active participants or observers. The exercise was conducted in two phases – harbour and sea.
The week-long harbour phase included discussions on submarine rescue systems, subject matter expert exchanges, a medical symposium and cross-deck visits. The sea phase saw INS Nistar and the Submarine Rescue Unit (East) of the Indian Navy carry out multiple intervention and rescue operations with participating assets in the South China Sea.
As reported earlier by TNIE, the exercise took place in the South China Sea, an area marked by tensions over contested maritime boundaries, including islands and exclusive economic zones.
Notably, China has been asserting its claims based on what it calls historical rights, and is currently in a standoff with US-backed Philippine naval vessels. Meanwhile, the Philippines is asserting its claim over the Second Thomas Shoal, which China strongly resists. China claims most of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan hold counterclaims.