Visakhapatnam: The sea phase of the multilateral naval exercise MILAN-22 commenced in the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Tuesday. Eastern Naval Command officials said 26 ships, 21 aircraft and one submarine will participate in this phase.
The sea phase till March 4 includes advanced and complex exercises in all three dimensions of maritime operations.
Earlier, a pre-sail combined briefing for the Sea Phase was presided over by the Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, which was attended by senior officers and planning teams from friendly foreign countries.
The sea phase of MILAN aims to enhance interoperability and maritime cooperation and share best practices among the participating navies. The schedule included weapon firings, seamanship evolutions, advanced anti-submarine warfare exercises, cross deck helicopter landings, simulation of complex operational scenarios and tactical manoeuvres.
India has over the past few years inked a series of logistics support and white shipping agreements with several countries to improve the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), and to improve the logistics of the armed forces as well as the operational turnaround.
