For the first time ever, both India and the United Kingdom have deployed their full carrier strike groups to operate together at sea in a bilateral naval exercise. HMS Prince of Wales leads the UK contingent, while India is represented by its indigenous carrier INS Vikrant. This marks a major upgrade in the scale and ambition of the long-running Exercise Konkan, according to the UK Government’s official website.
Joint carrier operation raises stakes in Indo-UK ties
The UK Defence Adviser in India described the carrier linkage as “historic,” noting that the exercise focuses on enhancing combined maritime and air capabilities. After the drills, fleet visits are planned in Mumbai and Goa.
UK Defence Advisor in India in a post on X, shared how Exercise Konkan aims to simultaneously enhance the combined maritime and air capabilities of the UK and Indian navies. The post reads, "A historic first! With the UK and the Indian carrier strike groups linking up. Exercise Konkan is aimed at increasing combined maritime and air capabilities between the UK and Indian navies on the high seas."
Complex drills, regional symbolism, and strategic signals
Exercise Konkan 2025 is being held off India’s western coast from October 5 to 12. The exercise includes a harbour phase, featuring cross-deck visits, expert exchanges, and cultural engagements, and a sea phase with anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare drills, as well as shared flying operations.
“The UK and India believe in an Indo-Pacific that is free and open. We share an ambition for a modern defence and security partnership, a fundamental pillar of UK-India Vision 2035, agreed by our Prime Ministers this year. The engagements between the Carrier Strike Groups of our two navies demonstrate our commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order in the region and lay the groundwork for future cooperation,” Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, was quoted as saying, as per the UK Gov’s official site.
Meanwhile, Commodore Chris Saunders MBE Royal Navy, Defence Adviser, British High Commission, said, “Exercise Konkan provides an excellent opportunity for the Royal Navy to train in the delivery of complex multi-domain operations alongside India as partners in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The Indian Navy has framed this deployment as a reassertion of shared commitment to ensuring open, secure seas and strengthening the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under Vision 2035, according to The Tribune.
As carrier strike groups sail in formation and conduct joint operations, this edition of Konkan sends a clear message about interoperability, mutual trust, and deepening defense ties between India and the UK.
