No warship, submarine can pass through Indian Ocean without being detected: Top Navy officer
Sep 28, 2023
By Ajit Dubey
Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 28 : At a time when Chinese Naval and research vessels have intensified their activities in the Indian ocean, a top Naval officer asserted that no country's warships or vessels can sail through the region without being noticed by the Indian Navy.
"There is no way any country’s warships or vessels can pass through the Indian Ocean without getting detected by the Indian Navy’s P-8I anti-submarine and surveillance planes," said a top Navy Officer.
While supervising the operations of the “game changer” P-8I aircraft at Nacala Air Station INS Rajali ( Arakkonam Naval Air Station), Captain Ajayendra Kant Singh told ANI, "There is no possibility that any ship or a submarine would pass through the Indian Ocean region without 312 squadrons not knowing about it.”
The Commanding Officer of INS 312 squadron, also known as Albatross, said that at any point in time, there is atleast one P-8I aircraft airborne to carry out surveillance of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal to keep an eye on all activities happening there.
P-8I is known as the game changer aircraft for the Indian Navy as it has played a key role in carrying out surveillance in multiple areas of Indian interest from the high altitude areas in the Ladakh sector, revealing the level of Chinese build-up along the Sikkim-Bhutan sector during the Doklam crisis and frequent surveillance of the foreign warships and research vessels all along the Indian Ocean Region.
The aircraft is also known as the Guardian of the Indian Ocean Region as it has flown more than 44,000 hours in the last 10 years to carry out surveillance over the Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Navy operates 12 of these planes with plans of acquiring 6 more of them in the near future from the US.
The Chinese Navy has been operating its submarines and warships in the IOR from where the majority of its oil supplies are routed and is an important global trade route.
Another senior officer from the squadron, Commander Jishnu Madhavan said, “P-8I aircraft plays a crucial role in being the eyes and ears of the Indian Navy and carries out critical maritime operations providing India’s maritime warriors a significant edge in the strategically important Indian Ocean region. This game-changer aircraft is an important platform for maritime surveillance.”
The Indian Navy recently deployed a squadron of P-8Is on the Goa front with the responsibility of keeping an eye on the western front and responding fast there.
