The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarkash has been deployed to South Africa to participate in the ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR-IX).
About Exercise IBSAMAR
IBSAMAR is a trilateral maritime exercise conducted among the navies of India, Brazil and South Africa.
The exercise has been conducted biennially since 2008 under the framework of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Forum.
Theme of IBSAMAR-IX: “Stronger Together Towards a Shared Future in the Maritime Domain.”
The exercise aims to strengthen collective maritime security and operational preparedness to address emerging maritime challenges.
Major Activities and Operational Exercises
The exercise covers a wide range of maritime operations to improve coordination and interoperability among the participating navies.
Surface Warfare: Exercises focus on improving operational capabilities against surface threats.
Anti-Air Warfare: It involves operations to detect, track and respond to aerial threats.
Anti-Submarine Warfare: It focuses on detecting and countering underwater threats.
Naval Air Operations: These activities involve the coordination of naval aviation assets with warships.
Maritime Interdiction: It includes operations to prevent or intercept suspicious maritime activities.
Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS): It involves boarding and inspecting vessels to identify illegal or suspicious activities.
Other Activities: The exercise also includes anti-piracy operations, search and rescue, damage control and firefighting.
Indian Navy's Participation
The Indian Navy is participating in the exercise with INS Tarkash, accompanied by an integral Chetak helicopter.
Key Facts About INS Tarkash
INS Tarkash is a frontline guided-missile stealth frigate of the Indian Navy. It is the second of the three Talwar-class guided-missile frigates.
Design and Construction: The Talwar-class frigates were designed and built in Russia. They are modified versions of the Krivak III-class frigates.
Shipyard: INS Tarkash was constructed at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
Commissioning: It was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 9 November 2012, at Kaliningrad, Russia.
Speed and Endurance: The ship has a maximum speed of more than 30 knots, a range of approximately 4,500 nautical miles, and an endurance of up to 30 days.