https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/multi ... 53222.html
11 July 2023

SYDNEY (Reuters) -- India, Japan, the United States and Australia will hold the Malabar navy exercise off the coast of Sydney on Friday, the first time the war games previously held in the Indian Ocean have taken place in Australia.
Japanese and Indian navy vessels stopped in Pacific Island countries Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea on the way to Sydney, highlighting the strategic importance of the region at a time of friction between China and the United States.
Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, Commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, said at a news conference on Thursday in Sydney that the exercise was "not pointed toward any one country" and would improve the ability of the four forces to work with each other.
"The deterrence that our four nations provide as we operate together as a Quad is a foundation for all the other nations operating in this region," Thomas said.
"Oceania, the island nations that are just northeast of Australia ... all of our nations now are focusing on those countries," he added.
Indian Navy Vice Adm. Dinesh Tripathi said there had been large changes in the world since the United States and India held the first Malabar Exercise in 1992 at the end of the Cold War.
When Australia participated for the first time in 2007, it "sent some signals around the world," he said.
Australia dropped out of the so-called Quad in 2008 after protests from China over its participation in Malabar. The Quad was revived and Australia rejoined Malabar in 2020, although China continues to criticize the grouping as an attempt to contain it.
"The Pacific is very important to us," said Australian fleet commander, Rear Adm. Christopher Smith.
"We understand people have ambition to continue to grow and develop ... but it's about transparency."
Ships from the four nations will be joined by Australian F-35 fighter jets, as well as P-8 surveillance aircraft and submarines.
"The underwater battle space is seen to be the front line in terms of competition and potential future conflicts," Smith said.
Malabar is being held off the east coast of Australia, instead of the west coast which faces the Indian Ocean, because ships were nearby after the larger Talisman Sabre exercise involving 13 nations which closed last week, he said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will host a mega multilateral military exercise next year that was originally planned for October.
The exercise, 'Tarang Shakti', is likely to be held in the middle of 2024 as a number of participating air forces conveyed to the IAF that they will not be able to join the wargame if it is held this year, sources in the defence and military establishment said on Wednesday.
The exercise is expected to witness participation of around 12 air forces and the focus of the wargame will be to improve military cooperation and enhance interoperability, they said.
It will be the biggest air exercise being organised in India.
It is learnt that air forces of France, the UK, Australia, the US and Japan would participate in the exercise.
Six countries will participate in the Tarang Shakti with their aerial assets like fighter jets, military transport aircraft and mid-air refuellers while six other nations were invited as observers, the sources said.
In the last few months, the Indian Air Force has participated in a number of major overseas exercises.
In April, the Indian Air Force sent four Rafale jets, two C-17 aircraft and two IL-78 mid-air refuellers for a nearly three-week multinational air exercise at France's Mont-de-Marsan military base.
Four Rafale fighter aircraft carried out a "strategic" mission last month over the Indian Ocean region for more than six hours, in a significant demonstration of their long-range combat capabilities.
In April, the air forces of India and the US carried out Exercise Cope India in Kalaikunda, Panagarh and Agra.
The US deployed B1 Bomber jets and F-15 fighter aircraft besides other assets in the exercise.
In an extended-range deployment, an Indian submarine will reach Australia for the first time on Sunday, even as the four “Quad” countries are separately conducting the high-voltage Malabar naval exercise off Sydney.
INS Vagir, the fifth of the Scorpene or Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarines that was commissioned in January this year, will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the west coast of Australia after arriving at Fremantle on Sunday.
“This is the maiden deployment of an Indian submarine to Australia. It showcases the Indian Navy’s capability and professional acumen to undertake sustained submarine operations at extended ranges from the base port for prolonged durations,” Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said on Saturday.
“Concurrently, on the east coast of Australia, Indian warships and aircraft are taking part in the Malabar exercise with the navies of the US, Japan and Australia from August 11 to 21,” he added.
India has deployed guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata, multi-mission frigate INS Sahyadri and a P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the quadrilateral Malabar exercise. This will be followed by a bilateral exercise between India and Australia called “AUSINDEX” from August 22 to 24.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent carrying 150 Indian army personnel departed today to participate in ExerciseBRIGHT STAR-23, a biennial multilateral tri-service exercise scheduled to take place at Cairo Air Base, Egypt. The exercise is set to take place from August 27 to September 16, 2023.
According to the IAF statement, this is the first time that IAF is participating in Ex BRIGHT STAR-23 which will also see participation of contingents from the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar.
The Indian Air Force contingent will consist of five MiG-29, two IL-78, two C-130 and two C-17 aircraft.
Personnel from the IAF's Garud Special Forces, as well as those from the Numbers 28, 77, 78 and 81 Squadrons will be participating in the exercise.
"The objective of the exercise is to practice planning and execution of joint operations and leading to the formation of bonding across borders, such interactions also provide a means to further strategic relations between participating nations. IAF contingents to flying exercises abroad are thus no less than Diplomats in Flight Suits," informed IAF.
Continuing to balance its expansive defence ties with both the US and Russia, India will dispatch military contingents to the two countries on Saturday to take part in combat exercises, even as Washington announced a new arms package for Ukraine’s ongoing war effort against Moscow.
The `Yudh Abhyas’ exercise with the US in Alaska is a top-notch bilateral endeavour, while the one at Vladivostok in Russia is a multi-nation counter-terrorism drill, in which China will also participate.
Admiral saar, WTF is that? Really curious. I can't think of a single bird in IAF livery with such a short wingspan. Looks almost like the ERJ145 but it can't be...a Dassault Falcon? What is it?Rakesh wrote: ↑07 Feb 2024 20:18 Check out the aircraft that is being armed
https://x.com/IAF_MCC/status/1755048009543614899?s=20 ---> Unseen, but undeterred - the magnificent men behind our flying machines. Exercise #Vayushakti24.
Presume it is BAE Hawk AJT, or HAL IJT given how low the wings are relative to the personnel.Cain Marko wrote: ↑08 Feb 2024 04:22Admiral saar, WTF is that? Really curious. I can't think of a single bird in IAF livery with such a short wingspan. Looks almost like the ERJ145 but it can't be...a Dassault Falcon? What is it?Rakesh wrote: ↑07 Feb 2024 20:18 Check out the aircraft that is being armed
https://x.com/IAF_MCC/status/1755048009543614899?s=20 ---> Unseen, but undeterred - the magnificent men behind our flying machines. Exercise #Vayushakti24.
It is BAe Hawk AJT onlee. Do you see the serial number (3648) in the third image?Nalla Baalu wrote: ↑08 Feb 2024 05:47Presume it is BAE Hawk AJT, or HAL IJT given how low the wings are relative to the personnel.Cain Marko wrote: ↑08 Feb 2024 04:22
Admiral saar, WTF is that? Really curious. I can't think of a single bird in IAF livery with such a short wingspan. Looks almost like the ERJ145 but it can't be...a Dassault Falcon? What is it?
Air-to-air, air-to-ground and surface-to-air live firings, as well as commando raids, are all part of India’s incredible airpower demo.