Article Posted on : - Apr 02, 2012

A file photo of SIMBEX 2010.

SINGAPORE (PTI): SIMBEX-12, the annual maritime exercise involving the navies of India and Singapore, has concluded in the Bay of Bengal on April 1.

India hosted the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) for the Singapore-Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX), the 19th in the series, which began on March 21.

The previous edition of the annual drill was hosted by Singapore.

This year's SIMBEX involved naval and air assets with the RSN deploying its stealth frigate RSN Stalwart and missile corvette RSN Victory along with a Fokker 50 maritime patrol aircraft and a S70B anti- submarine helicopter.

India participated in the war drill with a destroyer, a corvette, a replenishment tanker, two fast attack crafts, a frigate and a submarine along with maritime patrol aircraft and naval helicopters.

SIMBEX, being held between India and Singapore since 1994, has grown in scale and complexity over the years. It has evolved from training-oriented anti-submarine warfare exercises to advanced naval warfare exercises involving air, surface and sub-surface dimensions, the Singapore Minister of Defence said.