Indian Navy's P-8I To Practice Hunting Chinese Submarine In Guam Alongside US, Japanese, Canadian And South Korean Navies

A P-8I aircraft of the Indian Navy is set to participate in the Sea Dragon 23, an anti-submarine warfare exercise hosted by the US Navy.

The exercise will run from March 15 to March 30, and other countries such as Japan, Canada, and South Korea will participate in the event with their respective maritime defense forces.

The exercise aims to test the coordinated capabilities of participating aircraft in tracking simulated and live underwater targets.

The Indian P-8I arrived at Guam, US on 14 March to take part in the exercise, which will test the aircraft's capabilities in tracking both simulated and live underwater targets while sharing mutual expertise.

The Sea Dragon 23 exercise includes the participation of P-8A from the US Navy, P1 from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, CP 140 from the Royal Canadian Air Force, and P3C from the RoKN, besides India's P-8I.

The joint exercise in Guam, which will involve the Indian Navy's P-8I aircraft, is aimed at practicing hunting Chinese submarines in the region.

Navy's P-8I Submarine Hunting Aircraft

The Indian Navy was the first international customer of Boeing's P-8 aircraft. Twelve of these aircraft are already in service with the Indian Navy, with the latest one delivered in February last year.

The Indian Navy commissioned its second squadron of P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft earlier this year.

The Navy, reports say, plans to have a total of 22 of these aircraft in the next few years to keep an eye on Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean region, most notably its submarines.

The P-8Is come equipped with the AN/APY-10 radar, which its maker Raytheon describes as a "maritime, littoral and overland surveillance radar." In the synthetic aperture and inverse synthetic-aperture modes, the AN/APY-10 radar can penetrate through clouds and foliage to give detailed images of the surface below. Images produced by the radar give details such as the size of objects and structures on the surface, movement, and change.

Over the last few years, India has also deployed aircraft to track Chinese military deployments along the Line of Actual Control amid the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Also Read: Explained: Why Navy's P-8I Submarine-Hunting Aircraft Was Seen Heading Towards China Border