The 12th edition of the Indian Navy's MILAN 2024 international maritime exercise kicked off on Monday on India's eastern seaboard, near Visakhapatnam.
The Indian Navy deployed two naval aircraft carriers, the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, for the MILAN 2024, marking the first instance of such joint operations.
"INS Vikramaditya leaves a powerful imprint after her maiden pit stop at Visakhapatnam. As she heads out to the sea charged for MILAN 2024, may her presence always resonate with unwavering might", the Eastern Naval Command said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
According to reports, 20-25 foreign naval ships and one maritime patrol aircraft from friendly countries are going to participate in the naval drills. From the Indian side, nearly 20 ships and 50 aircraft, including MiG29K and P8I, will be participating in the event.
The Indian Navy on Monday also extended a warm welcome to the Varyag (011), a Slava-class cruiser of Russian Navy, which arrived at Visakhapatnam to participate in the multilateral naval exercise.
The event will be conducted in two phases – the Harbour Phase from 19-23 February and the Sea Phase from 24-27 February.
In the Harbour phase, "participating navies discuss maritime subjects of common interest and share solutions. The Harbour Phase will also have Table Top Exercise, Interactions of Young Officers , Outstation Cultural visits and International City Parade", reads the official website of MILAN 2024.
"The professional interactions and conferences planned during this phase shall build the operational tempo for the Sea Phase planned from 24-27 Feb 2024", the statement further adds.
During the Sea Phase, participating navies will conduct advanced air defence, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare drills in the Bay of Bengal. Gunnery fire on aerial and surface targets, manoeuvers, and underway replenishment will also be conducted, the Indian Navy said on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar will attend the Harbour phase session.
Among the navies participating with warships are Russia, Bangladesh, Maldives, Seychelles, South Korea, and Sri Lanka.
Nations participating for the first time in the MILAN exercise include Canada, Eritrea, Fiji, Gabon, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Madagascar, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Spain, Timor Leste, and Yemen.