Indian Navy conducts mega exercise on East Coast

The Indian Navy on Saturday said it carried out an extensive exercise along the East Coast as part of efforts to check its preparedness to meet any maritime security challenges.

The exercise 'Poorvi Leher' witnessed participation of ships, submarines, aircraft and special naval forces.

"The Indian Navy conducted Exercise Poorvi Lehar on East Coast under the Operational Control of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command," the Navy said. It said the exercise was aimed at validation of procedures towards assessment of the Indian Navy’s preparedness to meet maritime security challenges in the region.

The exercise was conducted in multiple phases, including combat training in a realistic scenario during the tactical phase and successful conduct of various firings during the weapon phase, towards reaffirming the Indian Navy’s capability to deliver ordnance on target, it said.

"With operation of aircraft from diverse locations, a near continuous maritime domain awareness was maintained throughout the Area of operations," the Navy said in a statement.

"In addition to the participation of assets from Eastern Naval Command, the exercise also witnessed participation of assets from IAF, Andaman and Nicobar Command and Coast Guard indicating a very high degree of interoperability amongst the Services," it said.

The exercise offered valuable lessons to participating forces operating under realistic conditions, thereby enhancing their readiness to respond effectively to maritime challenges in the region, the Navy added.