2nd phase of Exercise Malabar from Tuesday
25th edition of the drills to feature Japanese, U.S. aircraft carriers

Fifth Japan-Indian Bilateral Maritime Exercise JIMEX last week in the Arabia Sea | Photo: Indian Navy

The second phase of Exercise Malabar is set to begin in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.

The navies of the four Quad countries, India, Japan, Australia and the U.S., will be running drills till Friday, following on from the first phase which was held in the Philippines Sea in August.

According to a statement from the Indian Navy, its participation ‘includes INS Ranvijay, INS Satpura, P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a submarine’. “The US Navy will be represented by the Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson along with two destroyers, USS Lake Champlain and USS Stockdale, said the statement, adding that the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force would be ‘represented by JS Kaga and JS Murasame’, while the Royal Australian Navy would field the HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Sirius.

The second phase of the exercise ‘would focus on advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, seamanship evolution and weapon firings’, according to the statement.

This is the 25th edition of Exercise Malabar, which began in 1992 and the Indian Navy says it is ‘reflective of the commitment of the participating countries to support a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rules-based international order’.

Fifth Japan-Indian Bilateral Maritime Exercise JIMEX last week in the Arabia Sea | Photo: Indian Navy

Last week, the Indian Navy had conducted bilateral exercises with the JMSDF in the Arabian Sea with the Japanese Izumo-Class Helicopter Carrier Kaga and the Guided Missile Destroyer Murasame participating.