The first tri lateral maritime exercise involving India, Singapore and Thailand is planned to take place in the Andaman Sea later this year with officials saying that it will become an annual affair to increase interoperability between the nations.
India has already been conducting regular exercises with the neighbouring nation under the Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) series that will be supplemented with the new trilateral war games.
Thailand has also expressed keen interest in the Brahmos missile systems that can be used in ground attack and shore defence modes n recent meetings. Sources said that the system was identified as a potential export during a visit by Thai Navy Chief Admiral Luechai Ruddit in December last year and technical discussions are currently on to take the project forward.
The visit was followed up with a tour of Thailand by then Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba in April this year where discussions took place to “explore new avenues of defence cooperation”. India has been identifying customers for the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile system in the neighbourhood, including talks with Vietnam that has an open line of credit for defence systems.
Sources said that among the initiatives to take forward bilateral cooperation is an agreement to send Dornier 228 aircraft that are being operated by the Royal Thai Navy for servicing and upgrades to India. Thailand operates seven of the Dornier aircraft which are still being manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). An upgraded version of the aircraft – with glass cockpit and advanced avionics – is currently being delivered to the Indian Navy and Air Force.
Similarly, discussions are also on for servicing and upgrades of Thai coastal surveillance systems by India companies.
As reported by ET, India has been looking to increase partnerships in the region, with the latest step being the planned handing over of a Kilo class submarine to the Myanmar Navy. The INS Sindhuvir will be the first ever submarine operated by Myanmar, which is looking to acquire its own underwater fleet.
(This story has not been edited by defupdateindia staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-thailand-step-up-military-cooperation-trilateral-exercise-this-year-advanced-talk-on-brahmos/articleshow/70476913.cms
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