India, France & UAE conduct joint maritime exercise

• The navies of India, France and the United Arab Emirates have carried out a two-day mega wargame in the Gulf of Oman reflecting their growing cooperation to deal with challenges in the maritime sphere.

• It was the first edition of the wargame involving navies of the three countries.

• Indian Naval ship INS Tarkash, French ship Surcouf, French Rafale aircraft and the UAE Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft participated in the exercise that began on Wednesday.

• The exercise featured a wide spectrum of naval operations such as surface warfare, involving tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets, helicopter cross deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercise and boarding operations.

• The exercise aimed to enhance trilateral cooperation between the three navies and pave the way for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment. 

Bilateral exercises with France:

• Varuna - bilateral naval exercise between Indian Navy and French Navy.

• Garuda - Bilateral exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force (FASF).

• Shakti - Bilateral exercise between the armies of India and France.

Bilateral exercises with UAE:

• Desert Eagle - Bilateral exercise between the IAF and UAE Air Force.

• Zayed Talwar - Bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the UAE Navy.

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