"Indian Navy Ships INS Satpura and INS Kiltan along with P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft are participating, for the first time; in multi-lateral maritime exercise La Pérouse, being conducted in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region from 05 to 07 Apr 2021. The Indian Navy ships and aircraft will exercise at sea with ships and aircraft of French Navy (FN), [QUAD’s] Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and the United States Navy (USN) during the three-day exercise at sea," the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the drills would focus on naval operations including surface warfare, anti-air warfare and air defense exercises, as well as weapon firing and cross deck flying operations, among other maneuvres.
"The exercise will showcase high levels of synergy, coordination and inter-operability between the friendly navies. Participation by the Indian Navy in the exercise demonstrates the shared values with friendly navies ensuring freedom of seas and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order," the ministry said.
Quad, comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia, was initially established in 2007 as an informal consultative mechanism to oppose China’s alleged aspiration to establish control over strategic routes throughout the East Asian region and the South China Sea in particular.