How India has one-upped China with its dual aircraft-carrier exercise

The Indian Navy exhibited its “formidable maritime capabilities” last week as it carried out a Carrier Battle Group (CBG) operation in the Arabian Sea. The exercise involved India’s two aircraft carriers – INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant – as well as more than 35 aircraft, several warships and submarines.

According to the Times of India (TOI), a CBG is a “floating air base with fighter jets and helicopters that can sanitise over 200 nautical miles around it”. The development comes at a time when China is making efforts to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).

What was this dual aircraft carrier exercise and why is it so important for India? We explain.

Twin CBG operation

The twin aircraft carriers served as “floating sovereign airfields” in the exercise on 10 June, offering a launch platform for an array of aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets, MH-60R, Kamov, Sea King, Chetak and Dhruv helicopters.

As per the Indian Navy, the CBG operation was a “powerful testament to the pivotal role of sea-based air power in maintaining maritime superiority”.

The seamless operational integration of the two aircraft carriers @IN_Vikramaditya & @IN_R11Vikrant as well as fleet ships & submarines is a powerful testament to the pivotal role of sea based air power & India’s role as the preferred security partner in the #IndianOcean & beyond pic.twitter.com/XiW2UXloSK

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 10, 2023

“These mobile bases can be positioned anywhere, allowing for increased mission flexibility, timely response to emerging threats and sustained air operations to safeguard our national interests across the globe. In addition, they provide our friends with an assurance that the Indian Navy is capable and ready to support our ‘collective’ security needs in the region,” a Navy spokesperson said in a statement, as per The Hindu.

The twin CBG operation displayed “India’s technological expertise in the maritime domain”, as per the Navy.

“This demonstration of naval prowess underscores India’s commitment to safeguarding its national interests, maintaining regional stability, and fostering cooperative partnerships in the maritime domain,” the spokesperson further added.

About the dual aircraft carriers

The 44,500 tonne INS Vikramaditya, which was procured from Russia in 2004, went into service in 2013.

India’s first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant will become fully operational later this year, as per The Hindu. The 44,000-tonne aircraft carrier was commissioned in the Navy last September.

As per CNN, with the induction of INS Vikrant, India joined the only two other countries – the United Kingdom and China – to have commissioned an indigenous aircraft carrier in the last three years.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy is planning to get a third aircraft carrier and is in talks for a repeat order of INS Vikrant, reported Indian Express.

Why was the CBG operation significant?

The exercise involving twin aircraft carriers was a “big accomplishment” for India, analysts told CNN. “This is not a small achievement and underlines that the Indian Navy is one of very few in the world that operates more than one aircraft carrier,” Nick Childs, senior fellow for naval forces and maritime security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said.

Sameer Patil, author and senior fellow at Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, told International Business Times (IBT) that the twin aircraft carrier exercise shows Indian Navy’s “operational preparedness” to meet security needs.

“This impressive display of naval strength by the Indian Navy certainly shows its decades-long expertise in operating aircraft carriers”.

“The Navy has increasingly positioned itself as the ‘Net Security Provider’ and stepped up its naval profile in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years. This dual aircraft carrier exercise neatly aligns with this expanded profile and provides an opportunity for the Navy to demonstrate its operational preparedness,” he was quoted as saying by IBT.

ALSO READ: India looking to partner up with US for warship engines

While China and the UK have multiple aircraft carriers in their modern fleets, “neither has yet to perform dual-carrier operations with them”, analysts told CNN.

China has two aircraft carriers in service, the Soviet-built Liaoning and the indigenous Shandong. The Fujian, its third warship, has been launched but is yet to be commissioned.

Before India, only the United States carried out multi-aircraft carrier operations in recent times, reported IBT.

Although India has operated two aircraft carriers earlier as well, between 1987 and 1997 and between 2013 and 2017, this recent exercise is seen as a “significant” feat.

Speaking to CNN, Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said India’s naval history is likely to provide it an edge over China.

“The Indian Navy has had decades-long experience and expertise in aircraft carrier ops and this is probably the key advantage it possesses over the PLA (China’s People’s Liberation Army) Navy, its key rival in this field, despite the latter’s relative advance in its indigenous aircraft carrier programme,” Koh said.

As per the TOI report, China has seven to eight vessels and spy ships in the IOR at any point in time; and it is also aiding Pakistan to build a strong maritime force to counter India in the Arabian Sea. However, currently, India has an advantage over the region while Beijing faces logistical challenges, the report added.

“China’s aggression along the (shared Himalayan) border and expanding operations and presence in the Indian Ocean have become India’s most serious security concern. The naval expansion and modernisation is intended to address that concern,” analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, told CNN.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,
India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.