Passage Exercise (PASSEX) during International Fleet Review 2016 (01)

International Fleet Review 2016 (IFR 2016) was an international maritime exercise hosted and conducted by the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

on behalf of the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...

in February 2016 to improve relations with other navies in the region. The Indian Navy demonstrated its maritime capabilities to the foreign navies participating in the review. A fleet review is a gathering of naval ships for observation by a reigning monarch or their representative. In Indian events, the President of India reviews the fleet of the Indian Navy. Past fleet reviews in India include a 2006 review conducted by president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the first public naval fleet review outside Mumbai. Two other notable international fleet reviews were held before 2016: the

International Fleet Review 2005 The International Fleet Review was the most recent Royal Navy review, continuing a tradition going back to the 15th century. It took place on 28 June 2005, as part of the ''Trafalgar 200'' celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of t ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

International Fleet Review 2013 The International Fleet Review 2013 was a review that took place on the week 3 to 11 October 2013, as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the entry of the first Royal Australian Navy fleet in Sydney Harbour, on 4 Octob ...

in Australia. IFR 2016 was the second international fleet review conducted in India; the first, in Mumbai in 2001, had 29 participants. A total of 95 warships from 50 navies, including the Indian Navy, participated in IFR 2016. The review, conducted from 4 to 8 February 2016 in Visakhapatnam, was organized by the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.

Announcement

Eastern Naval Command motor cycle expedition team at Jaswantgarh War Memorial

IFR 2016 was announced at a press conference in New Delhi on 14 October 2015. At the conference, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan announced the Indian Navy's plan to conduct an international fleet review on the eastern seaboard at Visakhapatnam on 4–8 February 2016.

Events

4 February

IFR 16 - Wreath Laying Ceremony and Inauguration of Maritime Exhibition (02)

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

-laying ceremony was held during the afternoon of 4 February at the Victory at Sea Memorial.

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...

N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief of Naval Staff of India Admiral Dhowan and Eastern Naval Command

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

Vice-Admiral Satish Soni laid a wreath at the Victory at Sea Memorial in tribute to the Indian Navy sailors killed in the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

, and a guard of honour paraded. Eastern Naval Command Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma and other dignitaries and representatives of foreign navies were present at the ceremony. The maritime exhibition's theme was

Make in India Make in India is an initiative by the Government of India to create and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products made in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing. The policy approach was to crea ...

, showcasing the country's innovation, indigenisation and potential. With participating industries which float, move and fly, the exhibition was opened to the public on 2 February.

5 February

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan addressing national media at the International Fleet Review 2016

Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Robin K. Dhowan hosted a press conference at the Novotel Convention Centre, in which delegates from the navies participating in the review took part. An opening ceremony was held at

INS Satavahana INS Satavahana is the premier Submarine Training Base of the Indian Navy and is located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Training is carried out by the Submarine School (SMS) and the Escape Training School (ETS) and the School of Advanced Under ...

6 February

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee during International Fleet Review 2016 (03)

The Indian Navy fleet and foreign naval ships were reviewed by the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces,

Pranab Mukherjee Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the India ...

. Ships from the

Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally es ...

and the mercantile marine and the

Indian Naval Air Arm The Indian Naval Air Arm is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare. The Flag Off ...

were also reviewed. President Pranab Mukherjee during International Fleet Review 2016

The naval band presented a concert at the Samudrika Naval Auditorium. The Indian Navy hosted a presidential banquet in the Eastern Naval Command officers' mess attended by central- and state-government dignitaries, chiefs of foreign navies, heads of delegations, and Indian and foreign participants in the IFR.

7 February

A two-day international maritime conference began on 7 February with the theme, "Partnering together for a secure maritime future". The Navy conducted a parade and a 30-minute operation demonstration at RK Beach in Vishakhapatnam. Contingents of the Indian Armed Forces, the

Andhra Pradesh Police The Andhra Pradesh Police is the law enforcement agency of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Public order and police being a state subject in India, the police force is headed by the Director general of police, Kasireddy Rajendranadh Reddy ...

, the

National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to: *Bangladesh National Cadet Corps * National Cadet Corps (Ghana) *National Cadet Corps (India) * National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) *National Cadet Corps (Singapore) *National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka) The Nation ...

and foreign navies and their bands marched in the parade. Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

introduced a book about India's maritime heritage during the event. The parade ended with a reception hosted by Chief of Naval Staff Dhowan honouring the prime minister.

8 February

An international band concert was presented at the naval institute as part of the IFR 2016 closing ceremony.

Participating ships

Seventy-one ships from the Indian Navy participated in the review, including aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, destroyers, corvettes, sailing vessels, and amphibious warfare vessels. Most were from the navy's Eastern Naval Command. Twenty-four foreign ships and 50 foreign navies also participated. Delegations from Argentina, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Djibouti, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Greece, Israel, Kenya, South Korea, Namibia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey and Turkmenistan were in attendance.

Green initiative

Bio Diesel Powered Fast Attack Craft Of Indian Navy

As part of its green initiative, the Indian Navy showcased two fast interceptor craft (FIC) which use

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

and have replaced the incandescent lamps on its ships with LED light bulbs.

Passage exercise (PASSEX)

The International Fleet Review ended with the participating ships undertaking a passage exercise (PASSEX) in the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...

on 9 February. The exercise was conducted in two formations, with the aircraft carriers INS ''Vikramaditya'' and INS ''Viraat'' each heading a formation. The first group was headed by the ''Vikramaditya'', commanded by Western Fleet Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh; the second was headed by the ''Viraat'', commanded by Eastern Fleet Rear Admiral S. V. Bhokare. A helicopter from HMS ''Defender'' landed on the ''Viraat'', commemorating the carrier's historic ties with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Gallery

File:Indian Navy Chetak During IFR 2016.jpg, alt=Helicopter flying the Indian flag,

Chetak during IFR 2016 File:Flypast by Kamov Ka-31 of Indian Navy.jpg, alt=Three helicopters,

Flypast A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used. Flypasts are often tied in wi ...

by Indian Navy Kamov Ka-31s File:Heads of navies and other delegates, representing more than 50 countries, attend an welcoming ceremonies leading up to India's International Fleet Review 2016.JPG, alt=Large, seated crowd, Delegates from over 50 countries File:Tall Ships ‘Sail in Company’ during International Fleet Review 2016 (02).jpg, alt=Sailing ships, Tall ships sail in company during IFR 2016 File:Passage Exercise (PASSEX) during International Fleet Review 2016 (05).jpg, alt=Ships in a line, Passage exercise (PASSEX) in the Bay of Bengal, 9 February 2016 File:MiG 29K in action during International Fleet Review 2016.jpg, MIG 29k in Action

References

{{Reflist, 30em Military exercises and wargames 2016 in foreign relations of India