Mega naval drill comes to an end

A month-long major naval exercise on the western seaboard which witnessed the participation of the three services concluded on Sunday.

The Indian Navy’s annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX 17) was conducted on the Western Seaboard from January 24 to February 23.

The exercise saw participation of over 45 ships from the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, five submarines including the nuclear-powered Chakra, 50 Naval aircraft, 11 ships from the Coast Guard, troops from the army and 20 aircraft from the Air Force, including Su 30s, Jaguars and AWACS.

The exercise was conducted in phases to test the various facets of war-fighting capabilities of the armed forces to respond to given threat situations.