INS Sahyadri Participates in Japan-India Maritime Exercise JAIMEX 2025

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INS Sahyadri, an indigenously built Shivalik-class guided missile stealth frigate, participated in the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JAIMEX-25) from October 16–18, 2025, followed by a Harbour Phase at Yokosuka, Japan on October 21, marking another milestone in strengthening Indo-Japanese maritime cooperation.

Analysis

• Exercise Overview:
  • JAIMEX-25 is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
  • The 2025 edition involved complex anti-submarine warfare (ASW), missile defence drills, and flying operations aimed at enhancing tactical interoperability.
• Participating Units:
  • India: INS Sahyadri
  • Japan: JMSDF ships Asahi, Oumi, and submarine Jinryu
  • The exercise included underway replenishment operations, reinforcing logistics coordination between the two navies.
• Operational Significance:
  • Strengthens interoperability, joint response capabilities, and maritime domain awareness.
  • Reinforces the Special Strategic and Global Partnership (2014) between India and Japan, which focuses on peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific.
• Harbour Phase Activities (Yokosuka):
  • Included professional exchanges, cross-deck visits, and joint yoga sessions to build camaraderie.
  • Collaborative operational planning and sharing of best practices highlighted the growing synergy between both maritime forces.
• Strategic Context:
  • The exercise reflects the nations’ shared commitment to a Free, Open, and Inclusive Indo-Pacific.
  • Enhances naval diplomacy and the Long-Range Deployment posture of the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific.
• Indigenous Capability:
  • INS Sahyadri, commissioned in 2012, is a symbol of India’s indigenous shipbuilding under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
  • Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), it belongs to the Shivalik-class, India’s first class of stealth multi-role frigates.

Static/Background Information

• JAIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise):
  • Bilateral naval exercise initiated to strengthen defence cooperation between the Indian Navy and JMSDF.
  • Focus areas: Maritime security, anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and communication interoperability.
• INS Sahyadri (F49):
  • Class: Shivalik-class (Project 17)
  • Commissioned: July 21, 2012
  • Displacement: Approx. 6,200 tonnes
  • Armament: Surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and modern stealth features.
  • Base: Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
• India–Japan Naval Relations:
  • Strategic Partnership: Upgraded to Special Strategic and Global Partnership in 2014.
  • Regular bilateral and multilateral cooperation under Malabar Exercise, JAIMEX, and Indo-Pacific regional frameworks.
  • Shared vision of maritime freedom, rule-based order, and regional stability.
    
    Updated - 22 Oct 2025 ; 9: 23 PM | DD News