25 Nov : Russia’s most potent nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser "Pyotr Veliky" will join the joint naval wargames with the Indian Navy in January, during which they will train on how to destruct aircraft carriers.
This will be the second time that "Pyotr Veliky" (Peter-the-Great), known as the ‘Killer of Aircraft Carriers’ will be in warmer waters of the Indian Ocean for large-scale exercises with the Indian Navy.
Besides naval warfare tactics, the two navies will also carry out joint manoeuvres aimed at curbing sea piracy, sea terrorism and anti-submarine warfare.
Pyotr Veliky, leading the task force of Russian North Fleet, will join the warships of Pacific Fleet in the Indian Ocean after wargames with Venezuelan Navy in Caribbean Sea.
It will cross Atlantic and traverse Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa for the ‘INDRA-2009’ wargames with the Indian Navy, Itar-Tass new agency today reported quoting Russian Navy spokesman Capt Igor Dygalo.
This is the fourth such exercise since 2003 under the inter-services cooperation agreement between the two countries.
New Delhi and Moscow held complex wargames in the sea of Japan last year.
Although combating piracy and terrorists on the high seas have been declared the main aim of the INDRA-series naval wargames, in the first such exercise the Russian and Indian navies had practised in the destruction of an ‘enemy’ aircraft carrier and anti-submarine warfare had been an indispensable part of the joint drills conducted every alternate year.