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Military drills

Russian-Indian exercises, Indra Navy-2018, end in Bay of Bengal

The Pacific Fleet task force left territorial waters of India and continued its journey

© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, December 16. /TASS/. Russian-Indian exercises, Indra Navy 2018, ended on Sunday in the Bay of Bengal near the Indian port of Visakhapatnam, the Pacific Fleet information department of Russia’s Eastern Military District reported.

"Today, the Russian-Indian Indra Navy-2018 exercise was completed near the Indian port of Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal. It was aimed at practicing naval cooperation between sailors of the two states in protecting navigation and other economic activities at sea," the press service said in a statement.

"During the exercise, sailors of Russia’s Pacific Fleet and Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet improved their practical skills of joint tactical maneuvers, refueling of ships from a tanker while in motion, an inspection of a suspicious vessel," the Russian side said.

Besides, the combined forces practiced artillery fire at naval and aerial targets, submarine hunt, use of depth charges against an enemy submarine, as well as takeoff, landing and use of ship-borne helicopters.

After the active phase was over, a farewell ceremony took place in the sea. The Pacific Fleet task force left territorial waters of India and continued its journey.

The maritime part of the bilateral Russian-Indian naval exercise Indra Navy-2018 was held on December 13-16. Russia sent the Pacific Fleet’s flagship, the Varyag missile cruiser, the large antisubmarine ship Admiral Panteleyev, and the large sea tanker Boris Butoma. The Indian Navy is represented by the Ranvir guided missile destroyer, the Kadmatt, Kuthar and Khanjar corvettes, and the Jyoti tanker. Over 10 warships and support vessels from both countries, planes and helicopters of the Indian Navy and a helicopter from the Admiral Panteleyev took part in the exercise.

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