MOSCOW. June 5 (Interfax-AVN) - A large-scale Russian-Indian naval exercise named Indra 2003 ended in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, a high-ranking official of the Russian Navy Staff told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Russian and Indian warships practiced 20 combat and training elements at the final stage of the exercise," the official said.
During the second active stage of the war games on Sunday and Monday, Russian and Indian vessels lined up in columns, performed joint maneuvers, reloaded cargo on the move, and provided landing space for helicopters, he noted.
Then the vessels divided into two groups, each comprising both Russian and Indian ships, and held anti-submarine training. Indian submarines acted as the maneuver enemy. "Stable contact was established with them, which means their destruction in wartime. However no arms were used during the exercise," the official said.
Following that, the vessels moved to a distance of several dozen miles from each other and simulated an encounter attack with missile launches. After the attack, artillery firing and destruction of an aerial target were performed.
The exercise ended with a farewell ceremony. Russian and Indian ships lined up in two columns and sailed in front of each other in parade order. "Helicopters took off for taking photographs," the official said.
Ship commanders met in the roads of the Indian port of Vishakhapatnam to sum up the war games. They considered the exercise to be a success.
Russia was represented at the second stage of the exercise by Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva, and Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleyev large anti-submarine ships.
The Indian Eastern Fleet was represented by three frigates and two submarines.
The vessels that were involved in the final stage of the exercise will soon meet in the sea with another group of ships that have been staying at the port of Aden - the Pytlivy and Smetlivy guard ships, the Tsezar Kunikov large landing craft, and the Shakhter rescue tug. "After filling fuel and potable water stocks, the ships will head for their home shores: Black Sea Fleet vessels will go to Sevastopol, and Pacific Fleet vessels to Vladivostok," the official said.
Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Kuroyedov earlier told Interfax-AVN that the Russian-Indian Indra 2003 naval exercise will end on Thursday.
"An active stage of the exercise took place on June 1 and 2, and Russian and Indian ships will complete the maneuvers before June 5 by accomplishing the rest of the missions," Kuroyedov said.
"It is too yearly to make a final assessment of the exercise. We will sum it up when the ships return to base, which will happen in early July," he said.
Kuroyedov refuted media reports that the Russian ship detachment on a mission in the Indian Ocean will leave for the Far East as soon as the joint exercise is completed to take part in another large-scale exercise. The detachment includes Black Sea Fleet ships. The large-scale exercise is scheduled for August.
"I am not aware of such plans," Kuroyedov said.
The first stage of the joint exercise took place in the Arabian Sea on May 22 and 23. In addition to Russian vessels, it involves warships of India's Western Navy. The parties practiced maneuvers, firing, and air defense.