Lieutenant General Johnson P Mathew, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS), Vice Admiral K Swaminathan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS), Air Marshal SP Dharkar, Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS) and Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, Director General Infantry embarked on Indian Navy ships off the West coast from 30 to 31 Jan 25 to witness the Joint Phase of Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise-2025 (TROPEX-25), which included the Amphibious Landing by Indian Army troops.

The senior officers embarked onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam, stealth frigate INS Satpura, and Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa and witnessed dynamic operations of Indian Naval ships, submarines, and aircraft, demonstrating the Navy's combat capability and preparedness. This included missile, gun, and rocket firings and anti-submarine drills. They were also briefed on the tactical situation as part of TROPEX-25 and the concept of operations. Interacting with the officers and sailors over a Barakhana, they commended the Indian Navy for mitigating emerging challenges in the IOR.

Onboard INS Vikrant, the senior officers witnessed extensive flying operations by Mig 29 K and various helicopters both by day and night. The Air Power demo by Indian Navy aircraft included bomb busts, rocket firing and low-level aerobatics. Onboard INS Jalashwa, the senior officers interacted with the Army component embarked onboard and witnessed an amphibious landing that included Bunker-Busting drills, Combat Free Fall by the Marine Commandos of the Indian Navy, and landing of troops and BMPs by Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) and Landing Craft Assault (LCA) culminating in the establishment of a beachhead.

The senior officers later visited the Naval Base at Karwar and were briefed on the progress of infrastructure works.

TROPEX is the Indian Navy’s largest biennial maritime exercise, involving the Indian Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Conducted in the Indian Ocean, it aims to validate operational concepts and enhance operational readiness and interoperability in a multi-threat environment.

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