India deploys aircraft carrier in Arabian Sea

New Delhi: At a time when Chinese and Pakistan navies are carrying out a nine-day mega naval exercise in Arabian Sea, India has deployed its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in the region, sending a clear signal to the neighbouring nations.

Infact, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS) Vice Admiral  M.S. Pawar embarked INS Vikramaditya during the week to review its operational readiness. He reviewed carrier operations in the Arabian Sea.  “Yes, INS Vikramaditya has been in water for a week now,” said sources. The flying preparedness of the aircraft was also reviewed. “DCNS was extremely pleased to witness the ‘Intense Air Operations’ with ‘High levels of motivation and will to win’, that were evident onboard the ‘Queen of the Battle’,” said officials. He expressed confidence that INS Vikramaditya will “live up to the name and remain  victorious in battle.” The Arabian Sea region is strategically important for India as major ports including Kandla, Okha , Mumbai, Nhava Sheva (Navi Mumbai), New Mangalore, and Kochi are located there.

Pakistan and China on Monday launched a major drill in the North Arabian Sea with an aim to increase inter-operability and strategic co-operation between their two navies. According to reports China has deployed destroyer, frigate, a supplement ship, and submarine rescue ships.

With over 1,600 personnel on board, Vikramaditya is literally a ‘Floating City,’ with MiG 29K as the main offensive aircraft.

The Arabian Sea provides entry to the Indian Ocean where China currently has built a logistics base at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

As per reports, joint exercises are expected to be the first of many to come, as China and Pakistan have now developed a series of joint exercises covering the navy, army and air force, the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Daily.

Indian Navy which is circumspect of Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean is not inviting People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in its largest multilateral maritime exercise Milan 20 for which invitation has been sent to 41 countries.

According to sources Indian has not invited China for Milan as Indian Navy does not want the presence of Chinese ships in Indian ocean as they could in future try to misuse it to build legitimacy to be in the area. “Tomorrow they will start saying that we have been coming here for years. So we want to avoid such a situation,” said sources.  

In September last year, Indian Navy forced  PLA ship to return after it entered India’s exclusive economic zone in the Andaman Sea.