India, France, UAE begin joint maritime exercise

The navies of India, France and the United Arab Emirates have carried out a two-day mega wargame in the Gulf of Oman reflecting their growing cooperation to deal with challenges in the maritime sphere.

It was the first edition of the wargame involving navies of the three countries, officials said on Thursday.

Indian Naval ship INS Tarkash, French ship Surcouf, French Rafale aircraft and the UAE Navy's maritime patrol aircraft participated in the exercise that began on Wednesday.

''The exercise featured a wide spectrum of naval operations such as surface warfare, involving tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets, helicopter cross deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercise and boarding operations,'' said an Indian Navy official.

The official said the exercise aimed to enhance trilateral cooperation between the three navies and pave the way for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment.