The Indian Navy has successfully carried out its first-ever submarine intervention and rescue exercise with foreign submarines in the South China Sea, marking a major milestone in its global maritime capability.
The exercise, part of Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 (XPR-25) hosted by Singapore, was conducted from INS Nistar, the Navy’s latest indigenously designed Diving Support Vessel (DSV), currently on its maiden deployment abroad.
According to the Navy, it “successfully achieved maiden mating with foreign submarines in the South China Sea during XPR-25, conducting the full spectrum of intervention and rescue operations.” Over three days, the Indian Submarine Rescue Unit (East) completed three successful submarine mates, along with Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operations, demonstrating India’s readiness and interoperability.
The Navy described the achievement as a “milestone” that underscores its growing global submarine rescue capability, humanitarian role, and reliability as a maritime partner.
Strategic analyst Commodore Anil Jai Singh (Retd) noted the significance, calling submarine rescue “a very visible manifestation of military diplomacy and soft power projection.”
The biennial exercise involved over 40 participating nations as active participants or observers. It was conducted in two phases: a harbour phase, featuring symposiums, expert exchanges, and cross-deck visits; and a sea phase, where INS Nistar and international assets performed multiple rescue drills.
The exercise comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, where overlapping claims by China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have raised regional flashpoints. Against this backdrop, India’s participation showcases both its operational capability and its role as a dependable contributor to maritime safety and regional security.
