AMN / WEB DESK
Indian Navy’s INS Sumedha is taking part in the UAEs Naval Defence Exhibition 23 (NAVDEX 23) and International Defence Exhibition 23 (IDEX 23) at Abu Dhabi. INS Sumedha is part of a large defence delegation that is representing India in the events.
The participation of INS Sumedha in the defence exhibition events of UAE will put on display India’s shipbuilding capabilities and also be a testament to the nation’s ‘Atmanibhar Bharat’ vision.
Commissioned in March 2014, INS Sumedha is a Saryu class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (NOPV). It is the third in the series and has been built at Goa Shipyards Limited. The vessel boasts of an array of weapon systems and sensors. It is capable of being deployed for multiple roles independently and in support of fleet operations.
Reportedly, several naval ships and vessels are participating in NAVDEX from various countries including Kuwait, Britain, Bahrain, Italy, Pakistan and China. Apart from Indian Navy, many Indian defence companies are also participating in IDEX and NAVDEX.
The participation of the Indian Navy as well as India’s private and public defence firms in the event also symbolises the strengthening of defence ties between both nations.
India-UAE Defence Ties
Both India and UAE also hold a bilateral navy exercise, ‘Zayed Talwar’. The inaugural edition of Indian Navy-UAE Navy bilateral exercise was conducted in March 2018 whereas the last edition was held in August 2021. In addition to that, Indian Navy ships regularly make port calls to UAE.
UAE’s IDEX is a strategically important tri-service defence exhibition as it is the only international defence exhibition and conference that is held in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this edition of the event, cutting-edge technology from all over the world have been put on display.