Mulford, Tata visit US warship Nimitz

PTI ^ | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 01:30:37 PM | PTI

[CarrotAndStick]

ARABIAN SEA: American Ambassador David Mulford, industrialist Ratan Tata and Congress leader Satish Sharma, besides senior Indian Naval officers, were among the dignitaries today to visit the US aircraft carrier Nimitz, the star attraction at the ongoing Indo-US joint naval exercise 'Malabar-05'.

"When you meet people from a different country and work with them, in this case Indians, it helps foster friendship and trust", Captain of USS Nimitz, Ted Branch told a group of journalists who visited the warship.

Since the warships are used for humanitarian missions as well for combat, the interaction between Navies helps a meaningful partnership to grow, he added.

Navies of the two countries are engaging in a joint exercise after a long gap, since the exercises were discontinued after the Pokhran nuclear tests.

Apart from USS Nimitz, that had participated in the US action against Iraq in 2003, a nuclear submarine, besides destroyers and reconnaissance aircrafts are participating from the US side, while India's aircraft carrier INS Viraat, destroyers, frigates and reconnaissance aircrafts are taking part, the total participation of personnel from both sides being nearly 10,000.

While the Naval exercise entered its third day on Wednesday, the star attraction continued to remain the USS Nimitz, the aircraft carrier named after Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, one of American World War II heroes who was set on the Japanese trail after attack on the Pearl Harbour.

The USS Nimitz has on board FA-18 Super Hornet fighters and E2C Hawkeye Air Early Warning aircraft. The US side also comprises two Aegies class destroyers, one Los Angeles class SSN and P3C Orion aircraft.

INS Viraat has on board the Sea Harrier fighters and Sea King helicopters. The Indian side also has a Delhi class guided-missile destroyer, Godavari class guided-missile frigate, Shishumar class submarine, an Underway Replenishment Tanker, Dornier 228 Maritime Patrol aircraft and other multi-role helicopters.

The thrust of this year's Exercise Malabar is on aviation inter-operability between the FA-18 and Sea Harrier fighters, advanced anti-submarine warfare, sea control mission, fleet air defence, surface firing, maritime interdiction operations and visit board search and seizure operations towards anti-piracy and counter terrorism actions at sea.

The exercise is a part of the wider cooperation between both the Navies which includes service-to-service interaction, high-level visits, joint exercises of increasing scope and complexity and military training.

[Stonewall Jackson]

It will be interesting to see how the Indian Navy does against the Nimitz. A few years ago, they perfected a maneuver involving a joint air-surface attack that actually might allow several destroyers to get within missile-range of a carrier. This could be valuable training for the US Navy if we ever have to go up against China.

[CarrotAndStick]

Do you have more information on that? I'm sure it would be interesting to know about.

[CarrotAndStick]

Nimitz ping.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #4

Wow, Nimitz is in India, conducting a joint exercise with Indians. China's headache grows.

Thanks for your ping, CarrotAndStick!

[dis.kevin]

VA-35 bump

[Stonewall Jackson]

I read about it in International Fleet Review, a British naval magazine, but I don't remember which issue. I'll check and see if I still have that issue, but it's been several years.