The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman recently wrapped up their bilateral naval exercise, 'Naseem Al Bahr,' off the coast of Goa. The exercise took place from October 13 to October 18, with the Indian Navy sharing highlights on the social media platform X.
As per the press statement, the exercise was conducted in two phases, with the harbour phase that lasted from October 13 to October 15, which was followed by the sea phase which was conducted from October 16 to October 18 onwards. As part of harbour activities, personnel from both Navies engaged in professional interactions, including Subject Matter Expert Exchanges and planning conferences. In addition to this, sports fixtures and social engagements were also held.
During the sea phase of the exercise, both ships carried out various evolutions, including gun firings at surface inflatable targets, close-range anti-aircraft firings, manoeuvres, and Replenishment at Sea Approaches (RASAPS).
The integral helicopter operated from INS Trikand and undertook cross-deck landings and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) with RNOV Al Seeb. Additionally, the Indian Navy's Dornier aircraft provided Over-the-Horizon Targeting (OTHT) data with the participating ships. To further enhance interoperability, Indian Navy Sea Riders embarked on RNOV Al Seeb for a day.
The exercise helped strengthen interoperability and enhanced understanding of each other's best practices. The exercise was a resounding success, achieving its aims of enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and strengthening cohesion between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman.
Earlier this year in June, India and Oman held the 6th edition of Staff Talks between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) in New Delhi towards further strengthening the existing Defence relations between India and Oman in the maritime domain. Oman is India's closest defence partner in the Gulf region and defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between India and Oman.
Oman is the first Gulf country with which all three wings of India's defence forces hold joint exercises. Such exercises consolidate gains in naval cooperation and deepen the existing partnership between both Navies. They further reaffirmed India's commitment to constructive collaboration and mutual growth with like-minded nations in the Indian Ocean Region.
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