"China is paying close attention", the US-India aircraft carrier participated in the Malabar exercise, and the Indian media did not forget to talk about China

Based on the news released by the Indian media and the Indian Ministry of Defense, the second phase of the "Malabar-2020" joint maritime military exercise hosted by the Indian Navy and the participation of the US Navy, the Australian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force was officially launched on November 17. At the beginning, the exercise will continue until the 20th, and the exercise site is located in the northern Arabian Sea. Previously, from November 3 to 6, the first phase of the exercise was completed in the Bay of Bengal. Compared with the first stage, the second stage of the exercise is more complicated because it involves the Indian Navy "Vikramatia" aircraft carrier and the US Navy "Nimitz" aircraft carrier.

Data map: "Vikramatia" aircraft carrier

spokesperson of the Indian Navy said on the 16th that the second phase of the exercise will witness the "Vikramatia" aircraft carrier strike group and the "Nimitz" aircraft carrier strike group Centralized maritime joint operations. The two aircraft carriers will carry out high-intensity operations with other surface ships, submarines and aircraft participating in the exercise in the next four days, including cross-deck flight operations and participation of MiG-29K fighter jets, F-18 fighter jets and E-2C early warning aircraft. High-end air defense exercises. In addition, high-end surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapon shooting, etc. will also be conducted to further enhance the interoperability and coordination between the four countries’ maritime forces.

Data map: "Nimitz" and "Vikramatia"

The Indian Navy participated in the exercise, including the "Vikramatia" aircraft carrier and its fighter and helicopter wing, destroyer "Kolkata" and The "Chennai", the stealth frigate "Talwar", the supply ship "Deepak" and the helicopters, the submarine "Kandry" and the P-8I anti-submarine patrol aircraft.

The US Navy participated in the exercise, including the USS Nimitz and its escort ships, the cruiser USS Princeton and the destroyer USS Strayt. In addition, the US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft will also participate. The Australian ships participating in the exercise are the "Balatri" frigate and its MH-60 helicopter.

Data map: Indian submarine and destroyer

The Indian Ministry of Defense said that the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force will also participate in the exercise, but did not disclose the specific participating ships and other information. According to the Indian defense website livefist, the Japanese Navy asked the Indian Navy not to disclose the details of the second phase of the exercise. It is worth mentioning that the destroyer "Obami" from the Sea of ​​Japan and its SH-60 helicopter participated in the first phase of the exercise. When reporting on the second phase of the exercise, the Indian media still did not forget to mention China, saying that the exercise coincided with a military confrontation between China and India in the border area. The Indian media also claimed that China is paying close attention to the second phase of the "Malabar-2020" exercise. In addition, the Indian media also pointed out that at an event on November 6, the Chief of Naval Staff Karambi Singh said that the "superpower competition" is being conducted "very vigorously" in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Navy has strengthened its presence in the Indian Ocean region Surveillance and activities to "stop China's ambitions."

(Edit: LC)