Indian and Singapore navies begin mega exercise in South China sea

Aimed at increasing interoperability between the two navies, Indian and Singapore navies begin mega exercise in South China sea.

New Delhi: Navies of India and Singapore on Thursday began a seven-day-long mega maritime exercise in the South China Sea which has been witnessing a growing Chinese assertiveness.

Four warships of the Indian Navy and long range anti- submarine warfare aircraft P-8l are participating in the SIMBEX (Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise), which is aimed at increasing interoperability between the two navies.

A diverse range of operational activities at sea has been planned during the course of the exercise.

 "The thrust of exercises at sea this year would be on Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), integrated operations with surface, air and sub-surface forces, air defence and surface encounter exercises," Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.

A number of warships of Singapore Navy are participating in the exercise along with maritime patrol aircraft Fokker F50 and F-16 aircraft.

Held since 1994, it is the 24th edition of the annual exercise between the two countries.