Exercise Konkan Marks First-ever UK-India Carrier Strike Group Collaboration
(File photo)
The United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, has commenced Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy in the Western Indian Ocean, marking a significant milestone in bilateral maritime cooperation. This exercise, held biennially since 2004, is the first time a British and Indian Carrier Strike Group will conduct a maritime exercise together, underscoring growing defence ties between the two nations.
Exercise Konkan involves complex maritime operations with submarines and aircraft from both navies, aiming to boost combined capabilities on the high seas. The UK CSG’s participation is part of Operation Highmast, an eight-month multinational deployment showcasing UK’s global military engagement, with 12 other nations supporting with ships or personnel. The Indian Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, led by INS Vikrant, joins UK’s HMS Prince of Wales for this historic exercise.
Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said, “The UK and India believe in an Indo-Pacific that is free and open. We share an ambition for a modern defence and security partnership, a fundamental pillar of UK-India Vision 2035, agreed by our Prime Ministers this year. The engagements between the Carrier Strike Groups of our two navies demonstrate our commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order in the region and lay the groundwork for future cooperation.”
Commodore Chris Saunders of the Royal Navy emphasized, “Exercise Konkan provides an excellent opportunity for the Royal Navy to train in the delivery of complex multi-domain operations alongside India as partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The UK and India are two carrier operating countries, and the Royal Navy and Indian Navy are in a fairly exclusive club as blue-water, multi-carrier navies. This exercise provides another opportunity, a first with both carriers, for two maritime powers to enhance combined capability operating and share best practice.”
Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, remarked, “It’s fantastic to work again with the Indian Navy during Exercise Konkan to develop our combined operational capabilities. We’ve been collaborating to expand our defence capability, in support of the rules-based international system in the Indo-Pacific.”
Following the exercise, UK CSG ships will visit ports in Mumbai and Goa, celebrating enhanced military interactions and showcasing British trade and industry, highlighting the strong ‘living bridge’ of people and culture between the UK and India. On completion of the port visit, the UK CSG will participate in an aerial defence exercise with the Indian Air Force, allowing both forces to test their tactics and share best practices.
The UK co-leads the Maritime Security Pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, reflecting collaborative efforts on maritime security. The UK Carrier Strike Group is formed around HMS Prince of Wales, a 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier, supported by ships like Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dauntless and Type 23 Frigate HMS Richmond, operating F-35B Lightning aircraft and helicopters.
The exercise reflects UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific, vital for growth, clean energy, and security, strengthening the rules-based international order in the region.
