Article Posted on : - Jun 08, 2022

An internet imagery

NEW DELHI (PTI):  On a deployment to the South China Sea (SCS) and West Pacific, the Indian Navy's missile stealth frigate INS Satpura visited the Philippines from June 3 to 6 as part of efforts to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries.

The visit was aimed at strengthening mutual working relationships and interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Philippines Navy, said an official.

"Towards enhancing military cooperation with the navies of friendly foreign countries, INS Satpura on a deployment to the South China Sea (SCS) and West Pacific visited Manila," he said.

"The visit was aimed at strengthening mutual working relationships and interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Philippines Navy," the official added.

INS Satpura is an indigenously designed and built 6,000 tonnes guided missile stealth frigate equipped to seek and destroy adversaries in air, surface and undersea.

The ship is a part of the Eastern Fleet based in Visakhapatnam.

The deployment of the missile frigate to the South China Sea assumes significance as it comes amid increasing concerns among leading global players, including India, over China's increasing muscle-flexing in the region.

In a separate development, P8A aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) arrived in Goa on Monday to undertake coordinated operations with the P8I aircraft of the Indian Navy.

The Indian and Australian P8 aircraft have been regularly undertaking coordinated operations as part of various bilateral and multilateral exercises.