The Indian Navy have conducted missile based exercises in the Arabian Sea despite airspace over the area remaining open for civilian flights.
Local media reports that the Indian Navy had requested closing of airspace for three hours between 12:30 and 3:30pm on Saturday, however it did not detail to to aviation authorities whether this meant IST or GMT. Air Traffic Control in Mumbai assumed it to be GMT as is common in the aviation industry. Consequently, airspace reportedly remained open for three hours after the exercises had begun.
The Navy have reportedly not been forthcoming with information regarding any near misses. Flights on this route usually travel to the Middle East or Europe. The consequences of a missile hit could have been catastrophic according to a former commercial pilot we spoke to.
Mumbai Air Traffic Control general manager Jayant Dasgupta reportedly told the Mumbai Mirror that ‘talks’ would be held soon to ensure that there is no repeat of what happened.
The Indian navy currently operates two Kolkata, three Delhi and five Rajput class guided-missile destroyers. The ships of the Rajput class will be replaced in the near future by the next-generation Visakhapatnam class destroyers which will feature a number of improvements.
The primary objective of the Indian navy is to secure the nation’s maritime borders, India also uses its navy to enhance its international relations through joint exercises, port visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief. In recent years, the Indian Navy has undergone rapid modernisation to replace its ageing equipment currently in service, this is often seen as part of “India’s drive” to develop blue-water capabilities and enhance its position in the Indian Ocean region.
India have made dangerous mistakes at sea before, back in 2008 a suspected pirate vessel that was destroyed by the Indian navy near Somalia was actually a Thai fishing trawler that had been hijacked by pirates, a maritime official said Wednesday.
Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, said one Thai crew member died when the Indian frigate INS Tabar accidentally fired on the boat in the Gulf of Aden.
Good they have a defensive force but they should do more to help and assist the numerous poor people in India.
Deleted my comments??? :p #TruthIsAlwaysBitter
Yes, this is a defence news page.
losers
🙂
It’s amazing how such reports always attract the rabid Indian nationalists.
Not really – just asking whether the distribution of India’s expenditure and priorities between their departments, e.g., defence, education, health, helping their power etc is entirely correct or not.?
My comment wasn’t aimed at you David, rather at the guy who was making offensive posts (since removed).
Thanks Rob…
Return the Kohinoor diamond back you limey thieves.
No
I have serious doubts about the competence of the Indian military – they are a nuclear power yet have high aircraft accident figures and seem good at allowing their submarines to sink while in dock – worrying.
meanwhile whole NATO combined forces couldn’t get anything in Afghanistan for a decade long stay..!!! :v :v :v :p
Are we still giving India foreign aid these days?
I don’t think Indian Navy carried out any SAM test recently. A brahmos cruise missile was tested from a new destroyer on a decommissioned minesweeper recently. Local media reports are always sensationalised.
hello people…. i regularly see international defence pages and very often i see people commenting about india spending a lot on millitary instead of helping poors in india… i accept there is very high ratio of poors in india and i also accept that they need to assisted… but truth is also that 1.25 billion indians also need protection u see middleast ,pakistan, afghanistan etc and it’s really sad that people there are not safe even in major cities. Expenditure on defence is very justified in india .. atleast we don’t bomb other countries .. we don’t interfere in there… Read more »