INDIA. Mumbai: Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, conducted an operational readiness inspection and combat readiness review of the Western Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Indian Navy, on Sunday.
During this review, he observed various drills, including anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, and surface exercises, as well as live firings from multiple naval platforms in a realistic multi-threat scenario.
These operations included air exercises aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, which is under the command of Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF).
Vice Admiral Tripathi also had the opportunity to embark on the newly inducted MH60R helicopter and expressed his satisfaction with the efforts put forth for its early integration into the fleet.
He commended the Western Fleet for its readiness to carry out a wide range of tasks and missions as mandated by the Indian Navy to safeguard India’s maritime interests, according to an official statement.
The Western Fleet is a two-star level operational formation under the Western Naval Command, with Mumbai and Karwar serving as its home ports and INS Kunjali as its headquarters in Mumbai.
The Western Fleet is responsible for naval defense in the sensitive north Arabian Sea region adjacent to Pakistan.
INS Kadamba, a significant naval base, was constructed under Project Seabird and was completed in 2005. The naval base in Karwar, Karnataka, is exclusively used by the Indian Navy.
The flagship carrier of the Western Fleet is INS Vikramaditya. The Western Fleet is equipped with submarine pens, a carrier dock, and primary maintenance dockyards.
The Carrier Battle Group of the Western Fleet comprises INS Vikramaditya, Delhi-class destroyers, Talwar-class frigates, Brahmaputra-class frigates, INS Kolkata (one of the Indian Navy’s most powerful destroyers), and Sindhughosh-class submarines.
Naval aviation support is provided by MiG-29 K fighters and airborne early warning Kamov Ka-31 helicopters.
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