Russia, India to Hold Joint Naval Exercises on December 12-21

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Joint Russian-Indian naval exercises, Indra Navy, will be held in December in the Bay of Bengal, a source in the Indian Navy headquarters said Tuesday.

On October 26, the final agreement on conducting the drills was reached at the meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation, chaired by the Russian defense minister and his Indian counterpart.

"Joint drills in the Bay of Bengal will be held on December 12-21. At least three ships from each side will be involved [in the training]. Interaction in addressing common challenges at sea will be exercised during the exercises," the source told journalists.

On July 6, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry’s Eastern Military District Alexander Gordeev said that the Russian side will involve a Project 1155 anti-submarine destroyer, a Project 956 fleet destroyer, an anti-submarine helicopter Ka-27, a tanker and a fleet tug. India will introduce a Kashin-class destroyer, a corvette, a tanker and a shipboard helicopter in the drills.

In September, joint Russia-Indian military drills, involving Russian fifth unit of the general troops and Indian unit of motorized infantry guards battalion, were conducted in Primorsky Krai, Russia. Joint aerial training Indra, involving Air Force and Air Defense Forces is planned to be held before the end of 2016.