Malabar Exercise: From tracking nuclear submarines to
managing 200 aircraft and taking on deep-sea terror threat, five
Navies cover sweeping range of maritime operations
ON BOARD USS Kitty Hawk (150 miles west of Port Blair), September
7: As the small green dots approached closer on the radar screen,
the Indian officer sitting deep inside USS Nimitz knew it was too
late to save the ship. Jaguar maritime fighters of the Indian Air
Force (IAF), operating from the Car Nicobar air base, had managed
to come dangerously within striking range to successfully launch
anti-ship missiles on the super carrier.
The IAF registered its first kill of the day none less than the
mighty nuclear powered Nimitz with its compliment of 85 fighters.
But the young officer, on a cross attachment to the US ship, barely
had time to feel proud. The battle had begun in earnest and the
target now was Indias lone aircraft carrier.
INS Viraat, however, proved easy meat for the joint striking force
of US F-18 Super Hornets and IAF Jaguars with the American fighters
deliberately flying over the ship to drive home their
air-superiority skills.
With the five-nation Malabar 07-2 naval exercise entering its final
two days today, the buzzword on board the Kitty Hawk the US
carrier coordinating the 30-warship mock battle was the level of
interoperability achieved by the participating Navies of India,
US, Australia, Japan and Singapore.
From tracking and destroying a nuclear submarine, operating three
aircraft carriers in close proximity, managing air traffic for over
200 aircraft spread over just 150 X 200 km (roughly the size of
airspace between Mumbai and Pune), supporting an amphibious assault
to taking on a deep-sea terror threat and tackling piracy, the five
countries jointly carried out pretty much the entire range of
modern maritime operations.
We didnt just get a chance to operate together but also the
opportunity to assess our own capabilities by comparing them with
the latest technology in the world, says Vice Admiral R P Suthan,
commander in chief of the strategic Eastern Command, who is the
tactical commander for the mock battle over the next two
days.
The location is less than 200 miles from the Chinese listening post
in Coco Islands and touches the strategic Malacca Straits. But the
US is quick to deny that this is an alliance to contain the
military might of the Asian economic giant.
This has not been put together as a signal against anyone. It is
meant to bring Naval professionals together to practise, Vice
Admiral William Crowder, Commander of the Seventh fleet, the
largest forward deployed fleet of the US Navy, told reporters on
board the super carrier.
The war game is scheduled to culminate in a final mock battle
involving all battleships over the weekend. The detailed scenario
has not been revealed but is likely to be an intense air-dominated
battle fought between two divided groups of the flotilla.
However, USS Nimitz, which headed home today after reaching the end
of its deployment period, will be missed by the Indian
fighters.
Link
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RSS Formidable took part in this exercise. [/url]
