INS Jatayu: Indian Navy to commission new base in Lakshadweep next week

In a move towards strengthening its position in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy is going to commission a new base, INS Jatayu, in the Minicoy Islands of Lakshadweep. The Indian Navy is also going to hold its commanders' conference on board the twin aircraft carriers, including INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, where they will be undertaking high-tempo operations like taking off from one carrier and landing at the other, along with participation from other warships and submarines in the carrier battle groups, defence officials told ANI.

The Indian Navy is also going to formally commission the multirole helicopter MH-60 Romeo at Kochi in the next week, they said. The force would also see the buildings of its naval war college in Goa and facilities in Karwar inaugurated around March 4, the officials said.

Sharing details of the base being put together at Minicoy Islands, the officials said it is being commissioned with a small component of officers and men but would be expanded in future. "This would also give us a strong foothold in the area to keep an eye on the military and commercial activities of adversaries in the area, as this is around 50 miles from the islands of the Maldives," an official said. The base would be similar to the INS Baaz created in the Andamans and would have similar capabilities in the Arabian Sea.

The Indian Navy would also be inducting four of its MH-60 Romeo multirole choppers acquired from the US under a government-to-government deal. The Indian Navy is also going to demonstrate for the first time the twin carrier operations in the areas near Lakshadweep.

This would be the first time, after the induction of INS Vikrant, that the Navy would be carrying out the operations of the two aircraft carriers together. The two carriers were also present in the exercise Milin in Vishakhapatnam to showcase India's capability to manufacture aircraft carriers for global militaries.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)

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