Indian Navy: 2010 Year-End-Review

• The Indian Navy, being the nodal agency for Coastal Security among all maritime stakeholders, established four Joint Operations Centres, - at Mumbai, Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair. Besides the Coast Guard and the state Marine Police, other agencies including the Customs, Intelligence Bureau and Ports Authorities are all networked with these centres. Also, each coastal district has been placed under an Area Operations Centre for coordinating coastal security activities.
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• The Navy conducted 26 coastal exercises during the year involving other agencies to achieve better synergy. In all 12 exercises were conducted on the West coast, ten on the East, two in Lakshadweep & Minicoy Islands and two in Andaman & Nicobar archipelago. Besides, 89 Awareness Campaigns were conducted throughout the year in a bid to involve the large fishing community into the coastal security matrix.
• The Indian Navy also played a key role in obtaining approval of the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS), in April, 2010 for the National Maritime Domain awareness (MDA) Grid. The Navy later formulated a Detailed Project Report for implementing it as a project of national importance. When the common information grid would be created, it will synergise and enable effective sharing of maritime related information among all stakeholders, thereby leading to faster response by security agencies.

ANTI-PIRACY OPERATIONS

Indian Navy has deployed 23 ships by rotation in the piracy-infested Gulf of Aden since October 23, 2008. To date over 1,400 merchant vessels have been escorted safely, over 1200 of them from about 50 other countries, and 26 piracy attempts foiled. The Indian Navy is constantly engaged with other countries on capacity building and coordination in efforts aimed at keeping open one of the busiest shipping channels around the world and avoid choking of international trade, particularly Oil.

INDUCTIONS

• Defence Minister Shri AK Antony inducted the air dominance fighter Mig-29K into the Indian Navy at INS Hansa, Vasco da Gama, Goa on 19th February. The 4+ Generation multirole fighter jet, equipped with Beyond Visual Range (BVR) and guided anti-ship Missiles and smart bombs, will eventually berth on the INS Vikramaditya, the Gorshkov aircraft carrier, when it is likely to be delivered in 2012.
• Shri Antony also commissioned INS Shivalik, the first of three indigenously designed and built stealth frigates, at Mumbai on 29th April. Equipped with Combat Management System, CMS-17, manufactured by the Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited, Ghaziabad, the Shivalik class will be the mainstay frigates of the Navy’s fleet in the first half of the 21st century.
• During the year two Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts were also commissioned, taking the total to eight of ten ordered.