NEW DELHI: With changing strategic priorities, the Indian Navy is set to commission a naval detachment, INS Jatayu in the Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep on March 6 in the the presence of Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar .
According to officials, the new base will give Navy a strong foothold in Indian Ocean to keep an eye on the military and commercial activities of adversaries in the area, as the new base will be only 50 miles far from the islands of the Maldives.
Bolstering its Anti-Submarine warfare further, defence minister Rajnath Singh will also commission the newly inducted MH 60R Seahawk multi-role helicopter at the INS Garuda on March 6.
“With this MH 60R, we have filled a major gap in our anti-submarine warfare capability. The anti-submarine capability and the sustenance of the chopper will change the way we are doing our surveillance and it will give us a larger surveillance bubble,” Captain M Abhishek Ram said.
The Indian Navy will also 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.