Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (Pennant 67), a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer was commissioned into the Indian Navy.

INS Mormugao 

• This was the second ship to be inducted as a part of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers.
• It is indigenously designed by the Navy’s in-house organisation Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in the country’s financial capital Mumbai.
• The ship was named after a key port in the Indian state of Goa, it was inducted on the eve of Goa Liberation Day.
• The ship was first launched in September 2016 and began sea trials last year on December 19 which coincided with the day that Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule six decades earlier with December 18 marking the launch of Operation Vijay by the Indian Armed Forces in 1961.
• Singh also paid tributed former defence minister, the late Manohar Parrikar who had launched INS Mormugao in 2016.

Features of INS Mormugao

• The ship measures 163 metres by 17 metres and has the ability to fight in nuclear, biological, as well as chemical (NBC) warfare due to its total atmospheric control system (TACS).
• Additionally, with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes, the INS Mormugao is loaded with state-of-the-art weapons.
• It will be operated by a crew of at least 350 which would include 50 officers and 250 sailors.
• Over 75 per cent of the ship’s content was manufactured and developed in India, either directly or designed and developed by Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or through strategic tie-ups.
• It is capable of achieving speeds of 30 knots (55 km/hour) as it is propelled by four powerful gas turbines in a ‘combined gas and gas’ (COGAG) configuration.

Combat weaponry

• INS Mormugao includes weapons like BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles.
• It is also fitted with a modern surveillance radar which helps provide target data to the ship’s weapon system.
• Additionally, the ship’s weaponry also includes indigenously-developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters like Sea King or HAL Dhruv.

Historic significance of Mormugao Port

• Even as a port, Mormugao has contributed significantly to the growth of India’s maritime trade.
• Even today, it is one of the oldest and largest ports in the country and will retain this special place due to the services it provides be it Mormugao fort or Mormugao port.
• It is landmark since the 17th century Maratha campaign against the Portuguese under Chhatrapati Sambhaji (Ch. Shivaji Maharaj’s son).

Back2Basics: Project PB15

• P15B destroyers is a class of four ships built by the country’s MDSL with INS Visakhapatnam (Pennant D66), commissioned last year in November as the year.
• These ships are set to be more advanced than the Kolkata class under the project named 15A which comprised INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai.
• The contract for the ships was signed back in 2011 and under Project 15B they were to be named after four major Indian cities like Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat.
• A group of ships with similar tonnage, usage, capabilities, and weaponry are referred to as a ship’s ‘class’.
• P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping and manoeuvrability.

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In a related development, the third edition of the ‘pan-India’ coastal defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ is scheduled to be held on November 15 and 16.

Ex- Sea Vigil-22

• The Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
• The exercise aims to test its preparedness along the entire 7,516.6 km-long-coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country.
• It aims to comprehensively and holistically validate the efficacy of the measures taken since 26/11.
• It aims to simultaneously activate the coastal security mechanism across all 13 coastal States and Union Territories.
• This involves the evaluation of critical areas and processes, including inter-agency coordination, information sharing and technical surveillance.
• Multi agency audit and identification of gaps, shortfalls and incorporation of lessons learnt into Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also the desired outcomes.

Role of Indian Navy

• Post 26/11, the Navy was designated as the agency responsible for overall maritime security, including offshore and coastal security.
• The Coast Guard was designated as the agency responsible for coastal security in territorial waters.
• A multi-tiered patrol and surveillance mechanism with focus on technical surveillance and augmenting Maritime Domain Awareness through the coastal radar chain was adopted.
• Progress has been made in real-time information sharing through the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network and improving intelligence and operational coordination.

Significance of the exercise

• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum maritime security challenges.

Progress till now

• Verification and monitoring of a large number of fishing vessels in India has been greatly eased by the creation of the online ReALCraft (Registration and Licensing of Fishing Craft).
• The process of installing transponders on sub-20 metre boats commenced with a pilot project in Tamil Nadu for 5,000 vessels is underway.
• To allay the concerns of fishermen, the transponders with GPS have been modified into a two-way communication system.
• An Automatic Identification System (AIS) was made compulsory for all vessels above 20 metres after the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
• Trials were conducted in association with the ISRO on one of their communication satellites last year along the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

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The indigenous ballistic missile nuclear submarine INS Arihant has successfully launched a nuclear capable Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy.

About INS Arihant

• Launched in 2009 and Commissioned in 2016, INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear powered ballistic missile.
• It is capable submarine built under the secretive Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project, which was initiated in the 1990s.
• INS Arihant and its class of submarines are classified as ‘SSBN’, which is the hull classification symbol for nuclear powered ballistic missile carrying submarines.
• While the Navy operates the vessel, the operations of the SLBMs from the SSBN are under the purview of India’s Strategic Forces Command, which is part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority.

Its role in India’s nuclear triad

• In November 2019, after INS Arihant completed its first deterrence patrol, the government announced the establishment of India’s “survivable nuclear triad”.
• It completed India’s capability of launching nuclear strikes from land, air and sea platforms.
• This places India in the league of the few countries that can design, construct and operate Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarines (SSBN).

Significance of the test

• The SLBM was launched from the country’s first indigenous Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine INS Arihant.
• The test is significant for the nuclear ballistic submarine, or SSBN, programme, which is a crucial element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability.

Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs)

• The SLBMs, sometimes called the ‘K’ family of missiles, have been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The family is codenamed after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the centre figure in India’s missile and space programmes who also served as the 11th President of India.
• Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, more compact and stealthier than their land-based counterparts.
• They are lighter compared to the Agni series of missiles which are medium and intercontinental-range nuclear-capable ballistic assets.

Marine Version of SLBM: Sagarika

• Part of the K family is the SLBM K-15, which is also called B-05 or Sagarika.
• It has a range of 750 km.
• INS Arihant can carry a dozen K-15 missiles on board. India has also developed and successfully tested K-4 missiles from the family, which have a range of 3,500 km.
• It is also reported that more members of K-family — reportedly carrying the code names K-5 and K-6, with a range of 5,000 km and 6,000 km respectively — are under development.

Strategic significance of the launch

• The capability of being able to launch nuclear weapons submarine platforms has great strategic significance in the context of achieving a nuclear triad.
• This is especially in the light of the “No First Use” policy of India.
• The sea-based underwater nuclear capable assets significantly increases the second strike capability, and thus validates the nuclear deterrence.
• These submarines can not only survive a first strike by the adversary, but can also launch a strike in retaliation, thus achieving ‘Credible Nuclear Deterrence’.

Message to our hostile neighbours

• The development of these capabilities is important in the light of India’s relations with China and Pakistan.
• India’s capacity building on the nuclear powered submarines and of the nuclear capable missile which can be launched from them is crucial for nuclear deterrence.
• China has deployed many of its submarines, including some that are nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable.

Conclusion

• In an era such as this, credible nuclear deterrence is the need of the hour.
• The success of INS Arihant gives a fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail.

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INS Satpura and a P8 I Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the Indian Navy reached Darwin in Australia on for participation in the multinational Exercise Kakadu – 2022, hosted by the Royal Australian Navy.

Exercise KAKADU

• Exercise KAKADU, which started in 1993, is the premier multilateral regional maritime engagement exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by the Australian Air Force.
• The exercise is held biennially in Darwin and the Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA).
• It derives its name from Kakadu National Park, which is a protected area in the northern territory of Australia, 171 km south-east of Darwin
• During the exercise, professional exchanges in harbour and diverse range of activities at sea, including complex surface, sub-surface and air operations would enable sharing of best practices and honing of operational skills.

India’s presence at the exercise

• Indian Navy’s participation in KAKADU provides an excellent opportunity to engage with regional partners and undertake multinational maritime activities ranging from constabulary operations to high-end maritime warfare in a combined environment
• It is aimed at enhancing interoperability and developing of common understanding of procedures for maritime operations gaining importance with the Indo-Pacific narrative.

Also read:

[Prelims Spotlight] Important Submarines and Naval Ships

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Russia is holding Vostok exercises. However, India has only sent its army contingent of the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles, and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.

Vostok-2022

• It is an annual, multilateral, strategic and command exercise hosted by Russia.
• This year it will see the participation of more than 50,000 troops from 13 countries such as India, China, Algeria, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and many more.
• While the exercises in Vostok-2022 are routine, they are the first such multilateral exercises to be held since the Russian war in Ukraine began.

Why in news now?

• India has only sent its army contingent and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.
• This is because the maritime part of the exercises would be held in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
• These are near the disputed South Kuril Islands.
• India’s decision not to take part in the naval exercises is believed to be in deference to Tokyo’s sensitivities.

What does India’s participation mean?

By sending an army contingent to join Russian and Chinese troops in the exercises at this time, New Delhi is aiming to send a four-pronged message:

1. Continuing relationship with Russia despite the Ukraine war: The Modi government has decided not to join the Western sanctions regime, or to curb oil imports and other economic engagement with Moscow.
2. Signal balance and non-alignment in the current crisis: India has mostly abstained from votes at the United Nations seeking to criticise Russia.
3. India also takes part in routine Indo-Pacific exercises: This is with its Western partners including the Quad, as well as in bilateral exercises, like the India-US Ex. Yudh Abhyas.
4. Willingness to conditional engagement with China: The message the government continues to give is that it is willing to engage with China on a number of fronts, even as military talks at LAC (Line of Actual Control) remain stuck.

Conclusion

• There might be some discomfort for Indian soldiers in dealing with their counterparts at a time when they are facing each other off along the LAC.
• But that’s a small price to pay if it means keeping India-Russia ties on an even keel.
• India needs to start communicating its intent better.
• Strategic communication is an art. It’s time to master it.

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The Indian Navy took delivery of IAC-1 the ‘Vikrant’, the nation’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier from its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

Vikrant

• INS Vikrant also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is an aircraft carrier constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy.
• It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
• It is named ‘Vikrant’ as a tribute to India’s first aircraft carrier, Vikrant (R11).
• The name Vikrant means “courageous” in Sanskrit.
• Work on the ship’s design began in 1999, and the keel was laid in February 2009.
• The carrier was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011 and was launched on 12 August 2013.

Why is it important for India to have an aircraft carrier?

• An aircraft carrier is one of the most potent marine assets for any nation, which enhances a Navy’s capability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air domination operations.
• Many experts consider having an aircraft carrier as essential to be considered a “blue water” navy — that is, a navy that has the capacity to project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
• An aircraft carrier generally leads as the capital ship of a carrier strike/ battle group.
• As the aircraft carrier is a prized and sometimes vulnerable target, it is usually escorted in the group by destroyers, missile cruisers, frigates, submarines, and supply ships.

And why is it a big deal that this warship has been Made in India?

• Only five or six nations currently have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier, and India has joined this prestigious club now.
• Experts and Navy officials said India has demonstrated the capacity and self-reliance to build what is considered to be one of the most advanced and complex battleships in the world.
• India’s has had aircraft carriers earlier too — but those were built either by the British or the Russians.
• The ‘INS Vikramaditya’, which was commissioned in 2013 and which is currently the Navy’s only aircraft carrier, started out as the Soviet-Russian warship ‘Admiral Gorshkov’.
• India’s two earlier carriers, the ‘INS Vikrant’ and the ‘INS Viraat’, were originally the British-built ‘HMS Hercules’ and ‘HMS Hermes’.
• These two warships were commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987 respectively.

Why will this new warship be named ‘INS Vikrant’?

• IAC-1 — as the carrier is currently codenamed — has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• Once commissioned, it will be called ‘INS Vikrant’, the name that originally belonged to India’s much-loved first aircraft carrier.
• It was a source of immense national pride over several decades of service before it was decommissioned in 1997.
• The original ‘Vikrant’, a Majestic-class 19,500-tonne warship, which was acquired from the UK in 1961, played a stellar role in the 1971 War with Pakistan.

What weapons and equipment will the new ‘Vikrant’ have?

• The new warship is comparable to India’s existing carrier ‘INS Vikramaditya’, which is a 44,500-tonne vessel and can carry up to 34 aircraft, including both fighter jets and helicopters.
• The Navy had earlier said that once commissioned, IAC-1 will be “the most potent sea-based asset”, which will operate the Russian-made MiG-29K fighter aircraft and Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters.
• The new ‘Vikrant’ will also operate the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopter manufactured by the American aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin.
• It will also take onboard the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) built by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

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The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has given the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of next-generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy at an approximate cost of Rs 36,000 crore.

What is a Corvette?

• A Corvette is the smallest class of naval ships and it falls below the warship class of a frigate.
• These are highly agile ships and are categorised as missile boats, anti-submarine ships, coastal patrol crafts and fast attack naval vessels.
• The word corvette itself is derived from French and Dutch origin.
• During World War II, the term Corvette was used to describe vessels which had anti-submarine roles assigned to them.
• Modern Corvettes can go up to 2,000 tons in displacement which helps in keeping them agile.

What kind of Corvettes does the Indian Navy possess?

• The Indian Navy at present has the Kamorta Class Corvettes, which are also known as Project 28.
• These ships have an anti-submarine role and are manufactured at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata.
• The four Kamorta Class Corvettes that the Indian Navy possesses are named INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt, INS Kiltan and INS Kavaratti.
• The first of these was commissioned in 2014 and the last one in 2020.

What new capabilities will the new generation Corvettes have?

• The next-generation Corvettes will be manufactured for various roles like surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, surface action group operations, search and attack and coastal defence.
• It is worth noting that these roles will be in addition to the anti-submarine roles being already performed by the existing Corvettes in the Navy.
• Corvettes will be constructed based on new in-house design of the Indian Navy using latest technology of ship buildings.
• They would contribute to further the government’s initiative of Security and Growth for all in the region (SAGAR).

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Aviation and defence colossus Boeing delivered India’s 12th maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare P-8I aircraft.

P-8I Aircraft

• It is a multi-mission aircraft with state of the art sensors, proven weapons systems, and a globally recognised platform.
• The first aircraft produced by Boeing flew in 2009, and has been in service with the US Navy since 2013, the same year as the Indian Navy.
• Apart from India and the US, it has been chosen by six other militaries in the world.
• The aircraft has two variants — the P-8I, which is manufactured for the Indian Navy, and the P-8A Poseidon.
• The aircraft is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Naval operations

• While the Indian Navy uses it for maritime operations, the aircraft was also used in eastern Ladakh in 2020 and 2021, when the standoff with China was at its peak.
• The aircraft for the Indian Navy are called P-8I, and have replaced the ageing Soviet/Russian Tupolev Tu-142s.

Specifications and features

• The P-8I can fly as high as 41,000 feet, and has a short transit time, which reduces the size of the Area of Probability when searching for submarines, surface vessels or search and rescue survivors.
• The aircraft has two engines, and is about 40 metres long, with a wingspan of 37.64 metres.
• Each aircraft weighs about 85,000 kg, and has a top speed of 490 knots, or 789 km/hour.
• It requires a crew of nine, and has a range of 1,200+ nautical miles, with 4 hours on station, which means about 2,222 km.
• According to Boeing, more than 140 P-8 aircraft have “executed more than 400,000 mishap-free flight-hours around the globe”.

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The President of India recently took part in the Indian Navy’s 12th Presidential Fleet Review.

What is the President’s Fleet Review?

• In simplest terms, it is the country’s President taking stock of the Navy’s capability.
• It showcases all types of ships and capabilities the Navy has.
• It takes place once under every President, who is the supreme commander of the armed forces.
• The President is taken on one of the Naval ships, which is called the President’s Yacht, to look at all the ships docked on one of the Naval ports.
• The yacht will be distinguished by the Ashoka Emblem on her side and will fly the President’s Standard on the Mast”.

Importance of Presidential Fleet Review

• A fleet review is usually conducted once during the tenure of the President.
• So far, 11 Presidential Fleet Reviews have been conducted since Independence, of which two have been International Fleet Reviews, in 2001 and 2016.
• In terms of significance, the Navy’s Presidential review is second only to the Republic Day Parade.
• The President will be given a 21-gun salute before embarking on the yacht.

Do all naval ships participate?

• The idea is to showcase not all the Navy’s ships, but every type of ship — and the kind of capabilities it has at that time.
• The review also includes merchant ships as well.

What else happens in the fleet review?

• In this most formal of naval ceremonials, each ship dressed in full regalia will salute the President as he passes.
• The President will also be reviewing the Indian Naval Air Arm in a display of spectacular fly-past by several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
• In the final stage of the review, a mobile column of warships and submarines will steam past the Presidential Yacht.

How many of these reviews have been held?

• There have been 11 President’s Fleet Reviews since Independence.
• The first was conducted in 1953, under Dr Rajendra Prasad.
• The next one was done not by the President but by the then Defence Minister, Y B Chavan, in 1964.
• Since then, it has been the President reviewing the fleet.
• The longest gap between reviews was of 12 years — between 1989 (President R Venkatraman) and when 2001 (President K R Narayanan).
• The last one was done in 2016, under President Pranab Mukherjee.

Significance of the event

• It is one of the most important events for the Navy, which is essentially showing its allegiance and commitment to defending the country.
• It is a long-standing tradition followed by navies across the world, and according to Navy officials it is a strong bond that links seafarers of the world.
• Historically, a Fleet Review is an assembly of ships at a pre-designated place for the purpose of displaying loyalty and allegiance to the Sovereign and the state.
• In turn, the Sovereign, by reviewing the ships, reaffirms his faith in the fleet and its ability to defend the nation’s maritime interest.
• It is perhaps conceived as a show of naval might. Though it still has the same connotation, assembling of warships without any belligerent intentions is now the norm in modern times.

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Exercise Milan as well as the Fleet Review by President is scheduled to be held this month for which 46 countries have been invited.

Exercise Milan

• Milan began in 1995 and is held biennially and brings together Navies of all the countries in the region.
• It has so far been held at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar but is now being shifted to Visakhapatnam which offers more infrastructure as well as sea space for the exercise.
• It has several themes such as anti-submarine warfare among others along with deliberations, including by subject matter experts.

What is Fleet Review?

• A Fleet Review is usually conducted once during the tenure of the President.
• The first PFR was held in 1953 for the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
• Since Independence 11 PFRs have been conducted by the Navy, of which two have been International Fleet Reviews in 2011 and 2016.
• In terms of significance, the Navy’s Presidential review is second only to the Republic Day Parade.

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India is among the six Indo-Pacific nations participating in Exercise Sea Dragon 22.

Sea Dragon 22

• It is a multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Pacific Ocean hosted by the US.
• The exercise includes the navies of India, Australia, Canada, Japan, the US and South Korea.
• India, Japan, Australia and America are also part of the Quad, and also participate in the Malabar exercise.
• It includes in-flight training, ranging from tracking simulated targets to the final problem of tracking a live US Navy submarine.

Significance of the exercise

• The exercise is significant as almost all of the participating countries have strained relations with China.
• China is expanding its prowess in the Indo-Pacific under its Look West Policy.

Also, take time to read about all major exercises:

Various Defence Exercises in News

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The 15th edition of the biennial trilateral coast guard exercise ‘Dosti’ involving India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka is underway in the Maldives.

Exercise Dosti

• The aim of this exercise is to further fortify the friendship, enhance mutual operational capability, and exercise interoperability and to build cooperation.
• Both the Maldives and Sri Lanka are of strategic importance to New Delhi and to its maritime security interests.
• 2021 marks 30 years since these exercises were first launched.

Significance of the exercise

• These exercises help during joint operations and missions undertaken by countries and also help enhance interoperability.
• Although piracy is not a major issue in this part of the Indian ocean, these kinds of exercises also help coast guards with training for possibilities.
• These exercises help develop a better understanding of the other nation’s coast guard operations and how to enhance coordination during different kinds of missions.

What it involves

• The scope of these exercises are wide-ranging.
• India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have agreed to work on what they called the “four pillars” of security cooperation.
• These involved the areas of marine security, human trafficking, counter-terrorism and cyber security.

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The maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia named ‘AL–Mohed AL–Hindi’ has got underway.

Must read:

[Prelims Spotlight] Various Defence Exercises in News

Ex Al-Mohed AI-Hindi 2021

• This is the first edition of a bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia.
• It comprises several shore and sea-based drills between the two navies.
• It reflects the growing defense ties between the two nations in the wake of the Indian Army chiefs’ first visit to the West Asian country last year.
• INS Kochi is the Indian warship participating in the exercise.
• The exercise is being held against the backdrop of growing tensions in the Persian Gulf following a drone attack on the tanker MV Mercer Street off Oman.

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India Navy is set to commission INS Dhruv to track satellites, strategic missiles and map the Indian Ocean bed later this year.

INS Dhruv is no ordinary vessel for the Indian Navy. Read its stealth capabilities and utilities.

INS Dhruv

• INS Dhruv has been developed with the help of the DRDO and Indian Navy with India’s Strategic Force Command and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) as main intelligence consumers.
• The indigenously-developed surveillance ship has been built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd at its Visakhapatnam facility under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan initiative.
• The 15,000-tonne ship, part of a classified project, will not only create maritime domain awareness for India in the Indian Ocean but also act as an early warning system for adversary missiles headed towards India.

Stealth capabilities

• INS Dhruv is equipped with active electronically scanned array radars, or AESA considered a game-changer in radar technology.
• It can scan various spectrums to monitor satellites of adversaries that are watching over India.
• It can also understand the range and true missile capability of adversary nations that it finds in the Indo-Pacific.

Benefits offered

• Once the vessel is commissioned, India will be the only country outside the P-5 – the US, the UK, China, Russia and France – to have this capability
• It will act as a major force multiplier to India’s ocean surveillance capabilities.
• It will be able to provide the Indian Navy with an “ECG of the Indian Ocean”.

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India is looking at integrating more countries into coastal radar network IMAC.

What is IMAC?

• The Indian Navy’s IMAC located in Gurugram which was set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is the nodal agency for maritime data fusion.
• It functions under the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project.
• The NMDA project was launched in accordance with the vision of PM on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
• The IMAC monitors movement of more than 120,000 ships a year passing through the Indian Ocean.
• The cargo carried by these ships accounts for 66 per cent of world crude oil, 50 per cent of container traffic and 33 per cent of bulk cargo.
• Thus, IMAC performs a very crucial role in collecting shipping information, analysing traffic patterns and sharing the inputs with the user agencies.

Mission SAGAR, unlike other missions, can create confusion with the name and its purpose. Make note of such special cases. UPSC can ask such questions as one liner MCQs.

Expanding IMAC

• It is meant to enable real-time monitoring of the high seas for threats as also expand India’s assistance for capacity building to Indian Ocean littoral states.
• Efforts are in advanced stages to set up coastal radar stations in Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka have already been integrated into the country’s coastal radar chain network.
• Similar plans are in the pipeline with Maldives and Myanmar and discussions are ongoing with Bangladesh and Thailand.

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Himgiri, the first of the three stealth frigates being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, under Project 17A for the Navy, was launched into the water.

Try this question:

Q“To be secure on Land, we must be Supreme at Sea”. In this context, discuss why India is primarily a Maritime Nation?

Project 17A

• The coveted ‘Project 17A’ was cleared by the govt back in 2015.
• It involves the building of seven stealth frigates at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore.
• Of these seven, the contract for three frigates was awarded to GRSE while the contract for another four frigates was awarded to Government-owned Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) which is based in Mumbai.
• These frigates will come armed with advanced state-of-the-art sensors and boast of top-notch stealth features.
• They will represent the most advanced class of major surface warships for the Indian Navy in a decade, also featuring BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missiles.
• These will also have torpedoes and rockets to hit submarines and rapid-fire guns to destroy anti-ship missiles as well as a heavy main gun to engage ships and coastal target.

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The second edition of the India, Thailand and Singapore trilateral naval exercise SITMEX-20 has concluded in the Andaman Sea.

Exercise SITMEX-20

• The SITMEX series of exercises are conducted to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between IN, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN).
• The first edition of SITMEX, hosted by Indian Navy, was conducted off Port Blair in September 2019.
• The 2020 edition of the exercise is being hosted by RSN.
• The maritime drill witnessed a variety of exercises including naval manoeuvres, surface warfare exercises and weapon firings.
• Besides improving inter-operability, SITMEX series of exercise also aims to strengthen mutual confidence and develop common understanding and procedures towards enhancing the overall maritime security in the region.

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Upping the ante against China amid the ongoing LAC confrontations, Australia has formally accepted India’s invite for the upcoming Malabar Exercise.

About Ex. Malabar

• Exercise Malabar is a trilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners.
• Originally begun in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States, Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.
• Past non-permanent participants are Australia and Singapore.
• The annual Malabar series began in 1992 and includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.

Significance of Australia’s inclusion

• Earlier, India had concerns that it would give the appearance of a “quadrilateral military alliance” aimed at China.
• Now both look forward to the cooperation in the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and the strengthening of defence ties.
• This has led to a convergence of mutual interest in many areas for a better understanding of regional and global issues.
• Both are expected to conclude the long-pending Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) as part of measures to elevate the strategic partnership.

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Decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat is set to be scrapped at a ship breaking yard at Alang in Gujarat soon.

In rarest case we would see a question based on this in CSP. However, we can expect a question based on INS Viraat in the CAPF exam very well.

INS Viraat

• Viraat, a Centaur class aircraft carrier weighing 27,800 tonnes, served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes for 25 years from November 1959 to April 1984.
• It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in May 1987 after refurbishment and had operated Harrier fighter jets.
• It was decommissioned from in March 2017, and the Navy had been incurring expenditure since then on its upkeep, such as the provision of electricity and water, and repairs.
• In 2018, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved a proposal to convert the carrier into a museum and hospitality centre on a PPP basis and had invited bids. But there were no takers.

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The US has approved a military sale to India of 16 MK 54 all round up lightweight torpedoes and ten AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles. India plans to use the equipment requested in both the deals on the Indian Navy’s Boeing P-8I maritime aircraft.

What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)” , sometimes seen in the news? (CSP 2018) .

MK 54 lightweight torpedo

• The MK 54 lightweight torpedo is known as the Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo (LHT).
• It weighs around 608 pounds, while its warhead weighs around 96.8 pounds and is highly explosive.
• The primary use of this equipment is for offensive purposes when deployed by anti-submarine warfare aircraft and helicopters, and for defensive purposes when deployed by ships and against fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and slow-moving, quiet, diesel-electric submarines.

AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles

• The Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes.
• It uses GPS-aided inertial navigation to hit the designated target.
• Its warhead weighs over 500 pounds and is capable of delivering lethal firepower against targets, including land-based targets, coastal defence sites, surface-to-air missile sites, exposed aircraft and industrial or port facilities.

About P-8I aircraft

• Boeing’s P-8s are designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
• The P-8s India version is called the P-8I, and helps the Indian Navy carry out important maritime operations.
• According to Boeing, the aircraft can surpass 25,000 flight hours, and gives the Navy a significant edge in the strategically important Indian Ocean.
• India currently has eight of these aircraft and is scheduled to receive four more by 2022.

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Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’

• Indian and Japanese coast guards participated in a joint exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ on January 16.
• The aim behind ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ is to strengthen the bond between the two countries.
• One ship of the Japanese Coast Guard and four ships and an aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard participated in the joint exercise.
• The drill is a five-day event.

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