Exercise Sea Dragon-24

About Exercise Sea Dragon-24

• It is an elite multinational maritime exercise that encourages professional exchanges and teamwork among participating navies.
• Participating countries: India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the US.
• The exercise seeks to improve skills in a variety of maritime combat domains through a number of aerial and ground-based tasks, including:
  • Anti-submarine warfare (ASW): Locating and neutralising enemy submarines hiding beneath the seas.
  • Surface warfare: Coordinated attacks on hostile surface vessels using superior weaponry and tactics.
  • Air defence: Putting up an impenetrable air barrier to keep friendly forces safe from aerial threats.
  • Search and rescue (SAR): Tracking down and saving maritime personnel in need.
  • Communication and coordination: Synchronising activities across several platforms and exchanging information in a seamless manner.

Key facts about the P8I aircraft

• It is a versatile aircraft with potent force multiplier in maritime operations. Some of its primary capabilities are:
  • Long-range surveillance: The P8I can scan wide sections of ocean, identifying hostile movements and activities from long distances.
  • Multi-sensor fusion: Its electronic intelligence systems, sonars, and onboard radars provide a thorough image of the maritime environment.
  • Anti-submarine warfare: With its depth charges and torpedoes, the P8I poses a serious threat to enemy submarines.
  • Communication relay: The aircraft can serve as an essential means of communication between various participating fleets' forces.

Q1) What is Anti-submarine warfare (ASW)?

It is defined as a branch of underwater warfare that employs surface warships, aircraft or submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines. The first step is to detect, track and identify followed by destruction/degradation of the submarine.

Source: Indian Navy's P8I Aircraft Joins Exercise Sea Dragon-24 in Guam