The demonstration of both Indian and Pakistani Navy’s combat prowess came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that took 26 innocent lives, the tensions between India and Pakistan continue to rise. In an unprecedented development in the Arabian Sea, both Indian and Pakistani navies are holding naval exercises almost simultaneously near each other’s maritime zones. The Indian Navy is conducting its maritime drills from April 30 to May 3 off the coast of Gujarat – maintaining a position around 85 nautical miles inside its maritime boundary. Meanwhile, just across the sea, Pakistan is also carrying out its naval exercise, which started on April 30 and is set to conclude on May 2.
In a post on X, the Indian Navy said, “Fuelling the Maritime Might – No mission too distant, No Sea too vast (sic).” Earlier, the Navy on Sunday said its warships have successfully carried out multiple anti-ship firings, revalidating their readiness for long-range precision “offensive” strikes.
The demonstration of the Navy’s combat prowess came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
“Indian Navy ships undertook successful multiple anti-ship firings to revalidate and demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike,” the Indian Navy said in a brief statement.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Navy deployed some of its warships to the Arabian Sea to conduct live fire exercises.
Whose navy is mightier?
According to the Global Firepower Index, India ranks as the fourth most powerful military in the world, while Pakistan trails considerably, being positioned at the 12th spot. When it comes to naval strength, the Indian Navy ranks in the 6th spot, and the Pakistan Navy gets the 27th spot. Thus, the gap in both navies is discernible.
| Naval equipment | India | Pakistan |
| Fleet Strength | 293 | 121 |
| Aircraft carriers | 2 | 0 |
| Subamarines | 18 | 8 |
| Destroyers | 13 | 0 |
| Frigates | 14 | 9 |
| Patrol Vessels | 135 | 69 |
| Corvettes | 18 | 9 |
What was ‘Operation Trident’?
The Indian Navy has always maintained its naval superority over Pakistan. Operation Trident is one of the instances when Navy proved its mettle. The Indian Navy conducted Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in Pakistan’s port city Karachi. The operation was planned after air raids by Pakistan, and the orders were given to Western Naval Command (WNC) for ‘Operation Trident’.
A strike group was formed to launch the operation, which included Vidyut-class missile boats such as INS Nipat, INS Nirghat, and INS Veer. These boats were equipped with Soviet Styx missiles.
On December 4, the Indian strike group reached 460 kilometres south of the coast of Karachi. The Indian Navy’s vessels remained out of Pakistani radars. After identifying Pakistani ships at the port, INS Nirghat fired its Styx missiles.
PNS Khaibar, which was a destroyer, mistakenly activated its anti-aircraft system as it thought it was a missile coming from an aircraft. Ultimately,
PNS Khairbar was inflicted with huge damage, being flooded both by water and smoke. The Indian action sank the Pakistani destroyer, killing almost 222 sailors. The Indian Navy’s attack caused severe damage to the Pakistan Navy, as well as disrupted supply lines.
