Singapore and India's annual naval exercise SIMBEX expanded its scope on its silver jubilee this year by adding more firepower and increasing the geographical range of the drill – from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Visakhapatnam on the mainland.
The spectacular exercises were marked by successful missile engagements of aerial targets by ships of the two navies, anti-submarine warfare rocket firings, medium calibre gun engagements, flying operations and a steam past by participating ships and fighter jets.
The action by two navies was witnessed by Singapore's Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen who was received at the Andaman and Nicobar Triservices Command with Guard of Honour. The officers briefed him on the strategic maritime region of great importance to both countries.
This year drill featured about thirty military assets and a successful combined missile firing between Royal Singapore Navy's RSS Steadfast and Indian Navy's INS Satpura.
Ng called the drill "a glowing testament to the enduring and growing defence relationship between India and Singapore."
India's Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba hailed it as longest running, uninterrupted military exercise between any two countries.
"SIMBEX is the longest uninterrupted bilateral maritime exercise that India has had with any navy. The 25th edition of SIMBEX is the largest in terms of complexity, weapon firings and maritime geography," the navy chief said on the occasion.
After an intense sea phase of SIMBEX, Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, ships of the Republic of Singapore Navy arrived Visakhapatnam.
The twelve-day long drill saw an unprecedented level of interoperability between the two navies comprising ships, submarines and aircraft of India and Singapore that undertook multi-dimensional exercises at sea with a very high degree of complexity.
After the initial harbour phase at Port Blair, the exercises witnessed action at sea and shifted to the second harbour phase at Visakhapatnam that houses Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
The exercises were conducted in four phases, two each in harbour at Port Blair and Visakhapatnam and two sea phases in the Bay of Bengal.
At Andaman Sea, a dozen ships and submarines engaged in "a never seen before" number of weapon firings at sea. The action then shifted to the harbour activities at Visakhapatnam.
