Drills between UK Carrier Strike Group and Indian Navy conclude.

According to information published by the Royal Navy on July 28, 2021, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group has completed its first major workout since entering the Indian Ocean. Led by flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group sailed with the Indian Navy for a range of exercises in the Bay of Bengal.
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UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier (probably with RFA support ship Fort Victoria) with Indian Shivalik multi-role frigate Satpura (Picture source: Royal Navy)

The series of close maneuvers and drills saw the Royal Navy aircraft carrier, frigates HMS Kent and Richmond, RFA support ship Fort Victoria, the Dutch HNLMS Evertsen and US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS The Sullivans sail with the Indian destroyer INS Ranvir, frigate Satpura, corvettes Kulish and Kavaratti and replenishment ship INS Jyoti.

Over the course of a busy two days, the ships conducted a range of air, surface and sub-surface exercises. In total, 12 ships took part in the training along with more than 30 aircraft and 4,500 personnel.

The aim of the exercise was to see how the UK and Indian navies could work closely together, with both countries committed to freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and surrounding regions.

The INS Ranvir is a Rajput-class destroyer in active service with the Indian Navy. She was commissioned on 21 April 1986. The Rajput-class guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy are modified versions of Soviet Kashin-class destroyers. These ships have a displacement of 4900 tonnes. The destroyers are the first ships in the Indian Navy to deploy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile systems. 

The INS Kulish is a Kora-class guided corvette, currently in active service with the Indian Navy. She was ordered in October 1994 and was laid in October 1995. She was launched in August 1997 and was commissioned on 20 August 2001. The ship is armed with four quad-launchers for 3M-24 anti-ship missiles (Russian: Kh-35 Uran, NATO: SS-N-25 Switchblade).

The corvette is also armed with a 76 mm (3.0 in) AK-176 dual-purpose gun and two 30 mm (1.2 in) AK-630 CIWS. The Ak-176 can fire at the rate of 120 rounds-per-minute (RPM) to a range of 15.5 km (9.6 mi), while the AK-630 can fire 3,000RPM to a range of 2 km (1.2 mi).