October 6, 2025

Big news from the high seas! On 5 October, the UK’s mighty Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by the huge HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, joined hands with the Indian Navy’s Carrier Strike Group led by the powerful INS Vikrant. Together, they kicked off Exercise Konkan in the beautiful Western Indian Ocean. This special drill is all about strengthening teamwork and sharpening air and sea skills between the two navies. Although Exercise Konkan has been a biennial event since 2004, this year marks a spectacular first — two Carrier Strike Groups working side by side! The UK’s CSG is currently on an exciting eight-month expedition called Operation Highmast, sailing across oceans and teaming up with friendly navies. Now, for four intense days, both the British and Indian groups will dive into complex maritime exercises. It’s not just about ships; submarines and aircraft from both sides will power up too. After the sea exercises wrap up, British ships will dock in Mumbai and Goa. These visits are more than routine stops – they signal a warm military friendship and showcase the best of British business, culture, and tech. It's a vibrant 'living bridge' of friendship between the UK and India. Lindy Cameron, the British High Commissioner to India, shared her excitement: "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." Commodore Chris Saunders MBE, Defence Adviser at the British High Commission, explained why this matters so much: "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 UK and India are two carrier operating countries, and the Royal Navy and Indian Navy are in a fairly exclusive club as blue-water, multi-carrier navies. This exercise provides another opportunity, a first with both carriers, for two maritime powers to enhance combined capability operating and share best practice. The UK is also proud to co-lead the Maritime Security Pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative." Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, added: "It’s fantastic to work again with the Indian Navy during Exercise Konkan to develop our combined operational capabilities. We’ve been collaborating to expand our defence capability, in support of the rules-based international system in the Indo-Pacific." Once the sea drills are done, the UK group will join hands with the Indian Air Force for an aerial defence exercise. Together, they will test tactics and learn new tricks, making sure their skies and seas stay safe. A bit more about the UK Carrier Strike Group: HMS Prince of Wales is a massive 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier — the biggest ship ever built in the UK. It sails with powerful destroyers, frigates, and support ships, flying high-tech F-35B Lightning jets, Merlin, and Wildcat helicopters. Exercise Konkan keeps the friendship ship sailing smoothly every two years, with past events getting even bigger. For example, in 2021, there was the huge tri-service Konkan Shakti exercise including armies, navies, and air forces from both countries. For the UK, the Indo-Pacific region is hugely important — not just for business growth and clean energy, but for keeping the world safe and secure. This partnership and this mighty deployment show their strong commitment is here to stay.

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Tags: Exercise konkan, Uk carrier strike group, Indian navy, Hms prince of wales, Ins vikrant, Indo-pacific security,