India and the United Kingdom on Sunday launched the latest edition of their major bilateral naval exercise ‘Konkan’ in the western Indian Ocean, featuring aircraft carriers, warships, submarines, and fighter jets in a high-intensity maritime drill.
The Indian Navy is being led by its indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, operating with MiG-29K fighter jets on board. The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), headed by HMS Prince of Wales, has deployed F-35B multirole stealth jets, with additional participation from Norway and Japan, underscoring a broader multilateral engagement.
This year’s exercise holds strategic significance as it precedes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India on October 8–9, during which defence cooperation will be a key agenda point.
“The UK and India believe in an Indo-Pacific that is free and open. We share an ambition for a modern defence and security partnership, a fundamental pillar of UK-India Vision 2035,” said British High Commissioner Lindy Cameron.
She added that the engagement between the two carrier strike groups demonstrates the countries’ shared commitment to maintaining a rules-based international order and lays the groundwork for deeper cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to Indian Navy spokesperson Captain Vivek Madhwal, Exercise Konkan will serve as a platform to strengthen strategic ties, enhance interoperability, and contribute to regional maritime stability. He highlighted that the exercise reaffirms both nations’ commitment to ensuring secure, open, and free seas.
The biennial exercise features complex maritime operations focusing on anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, as well as flying operations and seamanship drills. The UK CSG will also participate in a one-day aerial defence exercise with the Indian Air Force on October 14, involving Sukhoi-30MKI and Jaguar fighters off India’s western coast.
Over the past two decades, the Konkan series has grown in scale and sophistication, reflecting the evolving partnership between the two navies.
The UK Carrier Strike Group is currently on an eight-month multinational deployment codenamed Operation Highmast, which includes a series of joint exercises with partners and allies across the Indo-Pacific. Following the Konkan exercise, the UK warships are scheduled to make port calls in Mumbai and Goa.
