BBC – Indian navy ‘captures 23 pirates’

The Indian navy says it has arrested 23 Somali and Yemeni pirates who tried to storm a ship in the Gulf of Aden.

BBC – India navy defends piracy sinking

The Indian navy has defended its action in sinking a ship near Somalia that maritime officials have confirmed was a hijacked Thai fishing boat.

BBC – Indian navy ‘sank Thai trawler’

The owner of a Thai fishing trawler has said the Indian navy sank it off Somalia’s coast last week after wrongly assuming it was a pirate “mother ship”.

Associated Press – India navy sinks suspected pirate ‘mother ship’

An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate “mother ship” Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night.

Daily Telegraph – India launches first navy mission against pirates

More details on India’s attempt to fight piracy off of Somalia.

India Today – India sends the frigate INS Ganga to mount its own anti-piracy patrol off of Somalia.

Associated Press – For decades the world relied on the powerful U.S. Navy to protect a vital sea lane in the Indian Ocean. But as India and China gain economic heft, they are moving to expand their control of the waterway, sparking a new ó and potentially dangerous ó rivalry between Asia’s emerging giants.
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Reuters – The United States has no plans to sell an ageing aircraft carrier to India, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday.
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Guardian – India has kept its efforts to build a nuclear submarine under wraps for more than 30 years, but a top Indian scientist has confirmed that the ongoing project at the Kalpakkam nuclear facility near Chennai to develop a nuclear reactor fuelled by enriched uranium was in fact intended to power the country’s first indigenously built submarine.
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Indian Express – Malabar Exercise: From tracking nuclear submarines to managing 200 aircraft and taking on deep-sea terror threat, five Navies cover a sweeping range of maritime operations.
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Asia Times – India begins to secure the Indian Ocean.
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AFP – A massive naval drill opens in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday with warships from the United States and four other nations flexing their muscle in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
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Virginian Pilot – The amphibious ship Jalashwa, which for 36 years sailed under the U.S. flag as the Trenton, is now flying the saffron, white and green colors of India.
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India Defence – Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said today that they Indian Navy has put forward a requirement of Rs.110,000 crore (US$ 25 Billion approx.) for the next Five-Year Plan to equip itself to take on the challenges of the future.
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Associated Press – Indian and U.S. destroyers, frigates and submarines conducted joint naval exercises off India’s western coast.
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Xinhua – The Indian Navy’s patrolling and transportation capabilities will receive a big jump when the landing platform dock (LPD) USS Trenton it is acquiring joins the fleet early next year.
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US Naval War College Review – India has strengthened its position on the Indian Oceanís littoral and among the oceanís island nations. India also has become a more palpable presence in key maritime zones; its links with the most important external actors also have been strengthened. These are significant achievements, and they derive from Indiaís growing economic clout, maritime strength, and a surer hand in diplomacy. As this process unfolds further, it will have a transforming effect on the Indian Ocean basin and, eventually, the world.

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Mumbai Mirror – A correspondent interviews the admirals leading the Indian and French navies in Varuna 2006, the joint exercise off the coast of Goa.
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Indian Express – India is purchasing the Austin-class landing vessel, USS Trenton.
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The Hindu – The aircraft carriers INS Viraat and Charles de Gaulle will exercise together next week.
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Indian Express – What was planned as a simple passage exercise between aircraft carrier INS Viraat and the American USS Ronald Reagan supercarrier three days ago off Sri Lanka spontaneously became a full-fledged, joint-maritime war game???The message is clear: the two Navies can easily combine assets with minimum preparation in the event of a war-like scenario.
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Daily Times – The aircraft carriers INS Viraat and USS Ronald Reagan are exercising together.
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The Hindu – A Presidential Fleet Review occurs in India, the Indian President states his views of the future of the Indian Navy.

Indian Express – Kalam endorses Navyís new Eastward incline

The Peninsula – Kalam calls for powerful subs

The Tribune – Kalam outlines Navyís future role
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Daily Times – The Indian Navy has decided not to lease two US Navy P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRA) because they are too expensive.
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Indian Express – By the time Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov arrives in 2008, the Navy will have a contingent of 32 pilots, trained in specialised deck-based fighter operations at the US Navy training command in Pensacola, Florida.
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