Singapore vy ship reaches Vishakhapatm for joint exercise
New Delhi, Oct 30: A Singapore vy ship reached Vishakhapatm on
Sunday to participate in the India–Singapore joint val exercise, said
an official statement. RSS Formidable, a multi–role stealth frigate
commanded by Lt. Col. Khoo Aik Leong Albert, will participate in the
Singapore–India Maritime Bilateral Exercises ‘SIMBEX–16’.
A senior Singapore vy delegation headed by Col. Aaron Beng, who
commands the 185 Squadron, is also visiting Vishakhapatm–headquartered
Eastern val Command (ENC) during the period, said the Defence
Ministry statement.
During the visit, the seniors Singaporean vy commanders will call
on ENC’s commander–in–chief, Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht and Eastern Fleet
commander, Rear Admiral A.B. Dasgupta. In the exercise, Indian vy
will be represented by guided missile destroyer INS Ranvijay, indigenous
anti–submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kamorta, a Sindhugosh class
submarine, along with number of maritime patrol aircraft and
helicopters.
A Fokker 50 maritime patrol aircraft of the Singapore vy will be
operating from Port Blair. The SIMBEX series was first formalized when
Singaporean vy ships began training with the Indian vy in 1994.
Simbex–16, being held in the Bay of Bengal region, is 23rd in the
series and is aimed to increase interoperability and to develop common
understanding and procedures for maritime security operations. The
thrust of exercises at sea this year would be on anti–submarine warfare,
integrated operations with surface, air and sub–surface forces, air
defence and surface encounters. (IANS)