New Delhi: The France-led seven-nation naval exercise La Perouse concluded successfully in the Bay of Bengal, witnessing the participation of eight ships and seven aircraft, including Indian naval ships INS Sahyadri and INS Jyoti.

French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain, in a tweet, said: “The seven-nation France-led La Pérouse naval exercise just concluded successfully. Thank you, India, US, Australia, Japan, Canada and Great Britain! "

The naval exercise included complex drills between partner navies in service of the shared commitment to a rules-based Indo-Pacific.

The multilateral cooperation exercise La Perouse brought together seven nations involved in maritime security in the Indo-Pacific: India, Australia, Canada, the United States, France, Japan and the UK on March 13 and 14.

Eight ships and seven aircraft came together in the Bay of Bengal to conduct a series of high-level training exercises to strengthen interoperability between the partner navies. France was represented by the Jeanne d'Arc Group, a statement from the French Embassy said.

The Indian Navy’s indigenous guided missile frigate INS Sahyadri and fleet tanker INS Jyoti participated in the Multilateral Exercise La Perouse in the Indian Ocean Region.

Besides, the other ships were FNS Dixmude and La Fayette, USS Charleston, HMS Tamar, HMAS Perth and JS Suzutsuki. These gathered on the morning of March 13, to start the first manoeuvres together.

They kicked off with replenishment at sea between the INS Jyoti and the HMAS Perth, followed by a gunnery exercise on floating targets in formation.

The training continued with a series of cross-decks conducted by the Dauphin and Gazelle helicopters of the Jeanne d'Arc group, the Alouette III helicopter of the INS Sahyadri, the MH160 of the USS Charleston, and the SH160 of the JS Suzutsuki. The first day ended with a joint anti-air warfare exercise.

The next day, the units conducted a simulation of air defence exercises, followed by aviation manoeuvres of increasing complexity between the helicopters and the ships, before concluding with an advanced tactical evolution exercise in formation, under the surveillance of the P8 Indian maritime patrol aircraft. Finally, the commanders of the various ships involved met on board the French Navy’s LHD Dixmude for a review of the exercise.

The eight ships then separated to continue their respective patrols and missions in the Indian Ocean. The Dixmude and the La Fayette are heading for Singapore, the next stage of their circumnavigation, before participating in the major exercise Croix Du Sud in New Caledonia, and to conduct patrols in France’s Exclusive Economic Zones in the Indo-Pacific, the statement said.

In the space of 48 hours, about 10 training sequences were carried out, including 20 cross-decks. These numerous sequences enhanced mutual knowledge between our navies, contributing to maintaining international stability based on adherence to international maritime law and safety at sea.

For five months, the Jeanne D'Arc group will contribute to asserting French sovereignty in its maritime space, and strengthening cooperation with partner nations, while training the French Navy officers of tomorrow.

The group is composed of the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Dixmude and the frigate La Fayette, which can carry nearly 800 sailors and soldiers, including around 160 cadets.

The group also includes an embedded tactical group (GTE) with 150 soldiers and 40 vehicles of the French Army, an amphibious flotilla detachment, an S-100 drone, and a Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy, and two Gazelle helicopters of the French Army. The Dixmude and La Fayette carried out a port call in Kochi in early March, it added.

(Using UNI inputs)