By Akshay Dongare: The first edition of the India-France-UAE Maritime Partnership Exercise concluded on Friday in the Gulf of Oman after two days of successful participation by the three navies.

The Indian Navy participated in the exercise with its modern state-of-the-art frigate INS Tarkash alongside the French ship Surcouf, with helicopters and French Rafale jets, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navy’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft are participating in the exercise.

The exercise scheduled over two days witnessed a wide spectrum of naval operations, such as surface warfare, tactical firing and drills for missile engagements on surface targets, helicopter cross-deck landing operations, advanced air defence exercises and boarding operations.

The exercise also included cross-embarkation of personnel for the exchange of best practices.

The maiden naval exercise aimed at enhancing trilateral cooperation between the three navies and paved the way forward for adopting measures towards addressing traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment.

The exercise also provided an opportunity to enhance collaboration in ensuring the safety of mercantile trade and freedom of navigation on the high seas in the region.