NEW DELHI: India has deployed its P-8I long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to Hawaii for the US-hosted Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026, the world’s biggest multinational naval war game, as New Delhi steps up maritime cooperation with like-minded navies amid China’s expanding footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
The month-long exercise brings together 30 nations, over 30 warships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and around 30,000 personnel. India is participating alongside all three Quad partners including the US, Japan and Australia.
“The deployment reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific while enhancing interoperability, maritime domain awareness and operational cooperation with partner navies,” the Navy said in a statement.
India, which made its RIMPAC debut in 2014, has participated in every edition since. The P-8I, the Navy’s frontline long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, will undertake maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and coordinated operations with partner navies during the exercise.
The deployment comes as India moves to strengthen its maritime surveillance capability. Earlier this year, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the acquisition of six additional P-8I aircraft, taking the planned fleet from 12 to 18 to strengthen surveillance and anti-submarine operations across the Indian Ocean amid increasing deployments by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Held biennially by the US Navy, RIMPAC is geared to boost interoperability among participating navies through high-end operations ranging from anti-submarine warfare and amphibious assaults to air defence, missile and gunnery firings, mine countermeasures, humanitarian assistance and maritime security missions.
The P-8I has become one of the Indian Navy’s principal platforms for tracking submarines and monitoring maritime activity across the Indian Ocean Region, where Chinese naval deployments have steadily increased over the past decade. India’s regular participation in RIMPAC and other multinational exercises such as Malabar reflects its growing emphasis on operational coordination with partner navies across the Indo-Pacific.
