Four Australian F-35 jets join Malabar naval exercise

Related Articles

India- Russia Relationship

December 29, 2023

India – Israel Relations (2)

October 16, 2023

India and Ukraine

September 27, 2023

Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Why in NEWS

Four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35 fighters jets joined the 27th edition of Malabar naval exercise involving Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.

Malabar naval exercise

• The Malabar naval exercise is a biannual multinational naval exercise.
• The exercise is hosted by the Indian Navy and involves the navies of the United States, Japan, and India. Australia rejoined the exercise in 2020.
• The first Malabar exercise was held in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the US Navy.
• The exercise was expanded in 2007 to include Japan and Singapore.
• In 2015, Japan became a permanent partner in the exercise.
• Australia rejoined the exercise in 2020, marking the second time that the Quad will be jointly participating in a military exercise.

The Aim

• The Malabar exercise is to increase interoperability between the participating navies.
• The exercise includes a variety of activities, such as surface, air, and subsea warfare exercises, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
• The Malabar exercise is seen as an important step in strengthening the cooperation between the navies of the Indo-Pacific region.
• The exercise also sends a signal to China of the commitment of the participating countries to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

2023

• In 2023, the Malabar exercise is being held off the coast of Australia from August.
• This is the first time that the exercise has been held in Australia.
• The exercise includes ships, aircraft, and personnel from the Indian Navy, US Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, and Royal Australian Navy.

The Malabar exercise is a significant event in the Indo-Pacific region. It is a demonstration of the commitment of the participating countries to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and it is a sign of their growing cooperation in the face of shared challenges.

The F-35 Lightning II

• It is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft.
• It is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions.
• It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

The F-35 has three main variants:

• The conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A.
• The short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B.
• The carrier-based (CV/CATOBAR) F-35C.

The F-35 is the most expensive military aircraft program in history, with a total program cost of over $1.7 trillion. However, it is also one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

It has a number of features that make it a formidable fighter jet, including:

• Stealth technology that makes it difficult to detect by radar.
• A powerful sensor suite that gives it a high degree of situational awareness.
• A variety of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and bombs.
• The ability to operate in a variety of environments, including from aircraft carriers and short airstrips.

The F-35 is currently in service with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, and South Korea.

It is expected to be in service with over 30 countries by 2025.