Indian Navy releases video of anti-ship missile destroying sinking ship

In a demonstration of its combat readiness in strategic sea lanes around India, the Indian Navy on Friday released a video of an anti-ship missile destroying a sinking ship with "deadly accuracy" somewhere in the Arabian Sea.

The missile was fired by frontline corvette INS Prabal as part of a mega naval drill involving aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and a number of warships, attack helicopters, aircraft and other assets of the Navy.

An Indian Navy Spokesperson tweeted that the missile homed in on its target, an old ship, hitting with deadly accuracy at its maximum range.

"#AShM launched by #IndianNavy Missile Corvette #INSPrabal, homes on with deadly accuracy at max range, sinking target ship," he said.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday reviewed the operational preparedness of his force at various shore-based locations a well as at sea.

He also addressed a select group of combatants of the Navy's Carrier Battle Group over a broadcast from the INS Vikramaditya, India's only aircraft carrier, and reviewed the force's overall combat readiness, officials said.

In his remarks, Admiral Singh complimented his force for continuously maintaining "peak combat-readiness" and "high tempo" of operations over the past few months, they said.

The Indian Navy has significantly increased its deployment in the Indian Ocean Region, in an attempt to send across a message to China in the wake of escalation in tension between the two countries.

Giving an overview of the prevailing security situation, the Chief of Naval Staff stated that the Navy would continue to maintain a high-tempo of operations in coming months.

"He also complimented the Carrier Battle Group and its combatants for accurate and effective weapon firings, which left no doubt about the Navy’s readiness to meet any emergent contingencies," the Navy said in a statement on Thursday.

A carrier battle group is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number destroyers, frigates and other ships.

"Indian Navy continues to maintain a high tempo of operations and combat-readiness despite the Covid-19 pandemic by adhering to stringent protocols onboard warships, submarines and aircraft squadrons and bases, and is fully prepared to tackle challenges in the maritime domain," the Navy said.