Navy's Ilyushin 38SD aircraft fire anti-ship missiles during exercise

The Indian Navy's Long RangeMaritime Reconnaissance aircraft Ilyushin 38SD successfullyfired Combat Kh35E anti-ship missiles during the ongoingTheatre level Readiness and Operational Exercise 2021(TROPEX-21), a defence statement said here on Tuesday.

The Combat Kh35E missiles launched from the aircraftsuccessfully hit and sank the target on January 31, it said.

''This reaffirms the Indian Navy's capability to carryout long range maritime strikes in the Indian Ocean Region, acapability that is central to meeting operational challengesand ensuring safe seas, secure coasts,'' it said.

TROPEX 21 is aimed at testing combat readiness of theNavy along with the assets of the Air Force, Army and CoastGuard in a ''complex multi-dimensional exercise set in thecontext of the current geo-strategic environment'', thestatement added.