With the recent arrival of two Steregushchiy-class corvettes at Chennai Port, the Russian Navy is preparing to launch a new series of joint exercises with the Indian Navy. Named “Indra,” these exercises will take place over the coming days with the goal of enhancing cooperation and interoperability between both naval forces. Since its first edition in 2023, the Indra Combined Naval Exercise has been a testament to the cooperative ties between India and Russia, reflected in both military and industrial collaboration.
The activities, which began on March 28 with the arrival of the two Russian corvettes in Chennai, will be conducted in two phases until their official conclusion on April 2. More specifically, the first “harbor phase” will include protocol and ceremonial activities, as well as key aspects of planning and coordination between the participating units and crews. This phase will run until today, March 30.
The second phase of the Indra exercise, known as the “Maritime Phase,” will involve the deployment of Russian and Indian vessels in the waters of the Bay of Bengal for naval drills. These will include navigation and tactical maneuvers, air defense operations, live-fire exercises, cross-deck operations with embarked aircraft, and at-sea replenishment maneuvers. This phase will take place from March 31 to April 2.
Regarding the deployed assets, the Russian Navy has assigned two of its modern Steregushchiy-class corvettes, which arrived in India on March 28: “Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov” (339) and “Rezkiy” (343). These vessels operate within the Pacific Fleet and are supported in their deployment by the ship Pechanga.
As for the Indian Navy, it has assigned the Rajput-class destroyer “INS Rana” (D52), the Khukri-class corvette “INS Kuthar” (P46), and a P-8I Neptune maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft from the Indian Naval Aviation.
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