Addressing the sailors and officers of the newly-inducted aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya after witnessing two days of Theatre Readiness Operational Level Exercise (TROPEX-2015), off the coast of Goa in the Arabian Sea, Parrikar said his stay on board the vessel had been instructive.
He said he is can now understand better the many difficult situations that defence forces, especially sailors and naval officers, face while ensuring the safety and security of the nation.
During the exercise, Parrikar and others were provided an overview of the multi-dimensional capabilities of the navy.
The navy demonstrated multiple facets of operations during his stay which encompassed a variety of weapons firing, MiG 29K and Sea Harrier operations from two aircraft carriers -- the other being INS Viraat -- integration of the P8I aircraft with fleet, and operations by the navy's Marine Commandos.
The Defence Minister also witnessed a successful and impressive vertical launch of the Brahmos, the supersonic long range anti-ship cruise missile, from the recently commissioned stealth destroyer INS Kolkata, a milestone in itself.
A critical part of Anti-Missile Defence being surface-to- air Missiles (SAM), the Defence Minister last night witnessed the successful interception of a fast, low-flying, surface-to- surface missile by a SAM.
Parrikar also watched a full-scale air power demonstration from INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat involving MiG 29-Ks, Sea Harriers, Sea-kings, UH3H, Advanced Light Helicopters and Chetaks, an official statement said.
Parrikar also witnessed naval commandos MARCOS demonstrate insertion and extraction in the middle of the ocean by slithering. During that drill, the Defence Minister also saw first hand the potency of the upgraded Sea Harriers, particularly in the networked environment, the statement said.
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