India and Russia kicked off the 11th iteration of their bilateral military exercise, designated Indra-2019, at a military training ground in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on December 11, according to the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD). The exercise will be simultaneously conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, a state on the southwestern coast of India, and in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Lieutenant General DS Ahuja, Chief of Staff Southern Command, along with Russian Major General Tsekov Oleg, Commander in Chief, 5th Army of Eastern Military District, reviewed the parade. The exercise will include air, ground, and sea elements from both countries. “Company sized mechanized contingents, fighter and transport aircraft and ships of respective services of both the countries are taking part in the exercise,” the MoD said a statement. “The aim of [the] exercise is joint training of troops in counter terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate.” The land component of the exercise will reportedly involve eight tactical episodes with the Indian Army providing around 20 combat vehicles, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, to the Russian forces.
The exercise will culminate with a 72 hour validation phase which will test the skills of soldiers, sailors and airmen in conducting joint operations in a counter terrorism scenario. Opening ceremonies were also held in the port of Marmagao and at an air force base in Pune to mark the beginning of the air and naval components of Indra-2019. The joint naval drills will be held in two phases in Marmagao and off the coast of Goa. The harbor phase will last until December 15 followed by the sea phase conducted in the Arabian Sea from December 16 to 19. As part of the exercise, important lectures, and demonstrations and drills related to counter-terrorism operations are being conducted. Both countries will also share their experiences in countering terror situations and refine drills and procedures for joint operations.
Indian military assets participating in the naval drills include INS Aditya, a replenishment and repair ship, the Teg-class frigate INS Tarkash, the current mainstay of Indian naval aviation, Russian-made MiG-29K Fulcrum fighter jets, and Boeing P-8I Neptune advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. The Russian Navy has dispatched the Neustrashimy-class frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the tanker Yelnya and seagoing tug Viktor Konetsky. The Russian task force, part of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet, headed from the Baltic to the Indian Ocean to participate in Indra-2019 in the fall. According to the Russian Pacific Fleet, over 700 servicemen are participating in the exercise. The press office of Russia’s Eastern Military District said that over 40 aircraft will be dispatched to India for the duration of the drills including 15 fighter aircraft.
Indra was initially designed as a bilateral naval exercise and transformed into a triservice drill in 2018. The land component of the exercise that year also took place in Uttar Pradesh, while the navies conducted their joint drills in the Bay of Bengal.
