Overview
- SIMBEX‑2026, the 33rd Singapore‑India Maritime Bilateral Exercise, concluded on Monday with a harbour phase of professional exchanges followed by a sea phase of multi‑domain drills in the Bay of Bengal.
- The sea phase practiced maritime interdiction, anti‑submarine warfare (ASW), anti‑air and anti‑surface drills plus seamanship and cross‑deck flying to test coordinated responses between the two navies.
- Participating platforms included Singapore’s RSS Supreme and India’s INS Nilgiri and INS Kamorta, supported by P‑8I, Dornier, Hawk trainers and MH‑60R helicopters for combined air‑sea operations.
- Senior officers from both sides met in Visakhapatnam, where Colonel Bertram Ang and Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi exchanged professional views on strengthening maritime cooperation.
- The exercise aligns with parallel Indian deployments in the region, such as the First Training Squadron’s port call in Colombo, and underscores a routine Indian Navy strategy of presence, partnership and capability sharing across Indian Ocean littorals.