India's MiG-29s Fly With F-35, Harrier Jets In Exercise With Italian Navy

The Indian Navy and its Italian counterpart held a historic bilateral maritime engagement off the West Coast last week, featuring, for the first time, a maiden exercise by Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) from both navies.

A Carrier Strike Group is a battle formation consisting of aircraft carriers and escorts like destroyers, frigates, support ships, small boats etc.

One of the highlights of the maritime exercise was the participation of the Indian Air Force, which carried out manoeuvres with Italian CSG aircraft, including Large Force Engagements and Combat Missions.

The maritime exercise was held in two phases. The harbour phase saw 'Subject Matter Expert' exchanges and other key interactions as well as a Pre-Sail Planning Conference that included the participation of the Indian Air Force.

The sea phase took place on October 5 and 6, led by the two carriers INS Vikramaditya and ITS Cavour with INS Visakhapatnam, a stealth guided-missile destroyer, and ITS Alpino.

ITS Cavour is the Italian Navy's flagship aircraft carrier. It operates the US fifth-generation F-35B lightning fighter jet and the British Harriers. Meanwhile, ITS Alpino an Italian frigate, was accompanying the aircraft carrier in the exercise.

The two Carrier Strike Groups held operations with their integral fighter aircraft and helicopters, for combined Large Force Engagements, Air Combat Missions, Helicopter Operations and Search And Rescue missions as well as co-ordinated weapon firings and joint manoeuvres, "to underscore joint operations and Command & Control capabilities and enhance interoperability," the navy said.

A picture showed the Italian Navy's two F-35B lightning and Harriers flying with two MiG-29s over INS Vikramaditya.

Last week, Vice Admiral Aurelio De Carolis, commander-in-chief of the Italian Fleet, praised the Indian Navy's performance in the Indian Ocean. While speaking to the media on attacks on commercial ships by pirates in the region, Vice Admiral Carolis said, "We have seen that with the reduction of the flow of commerce through the Red Sea, most of the ships have been diverted to the Cape of Good Hope and this in some way might have fuelled a comeback of piracy in the area and we have seen the Indian Navy... I must say, they are doing an excellent job. At the end of the day, it is called the Indian Ocean, not by chance."

In 2023, Italy joined the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI)'s Science and Technology Pillar, the Italian Navy Ship (ITS Morosini) made a port call in Mumbai in August 2023. Indian Navy Ship INS Sumedha held Maritime PASSEX Exercise along with ITS Morosini off the coast of Sardinia in April 2023. Italian Navy also participated in the MILAN 2024 Naval Exercises held off the coast of Vishakapatnam in February 2024.