India-UK Naval Partnership Reaches New Milestone with First Combined Carrier Strike Group Exercise

India and the UK naval partnership have achieved a significant military milestone with the completion of Exercise Konkan 2025, marking the first time both nations deployed their aircraft carriers in joint operations. This bilateral maritime exercise, conducted from October 5-12, 2025, off India's western coast, represents a transformative moment in Indo-Pacific security cooperation.​

First Combined Carrier Strike Group Operations

Exercise Konkan 2025 featured the UK's HMS Prince of Wales operating alongside India's INS Vikrant for the first time in bilateral naval history. The 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth-class carrier worked with India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, placing both nations within the exclusive global community of multi-carrier navies.​

The exercise encompassed tactical air warfare, beyond visual range air combat, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface operations, and coordinated fleet defence exercises. F-35B Lightning stealth fighters from HMS Prince of Wales conducted joint operations with MiG-29K jets from INS Vikrant.​

The 2025 edition included allied vessels from Norway, Japan, Canada, and Spain, with Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen and Japanese destroyer JS Akebono participating alongside the carrier strike groups.​

Prime Ministerial Summit Advances Partnership

The naval exercises coincided with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first official visit to India on October 8-9, 2025. Prime Minister Starmer's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai announced major defence agreements worth over £600 million.​

The joint statement reaffirmed both countries' commitment to maintaining a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific and advancing the India-UK Vision 2035 framework.​

Major Defence Agreements

£350 Million Missile Systems Contract

India and the UK finalized a government-to-government agreement for Thales-manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to the Indian Army. The £350 million contract represents one of the largest recent UK-India defence transactions.​

The 13-kilogram missiles have an operational range exceeding 6 kilometers and travel at 1.5 times the speed of sound. Manufacturing will be conducted at Thales' Belfast facility in Northern Ireland.​

Maritime Electric Propulsion Systems Initiative

Both governments agreed to advance an Inter-Governmental Agreement on developing maritime electric propulsion systems for Indian naval platforms, with an initial investment of £250 million. This collaboration reduces India's reliance on traditional suppliers while advancing indigenous defence capabilities.​

Extended Air Operations

Following naval operations, the UK Carrier Strike Group participated in a joint exercise with the Indian Air Force on October 14, 2025. IAF Sukhoi-30 MKI and Jaguar aircraft conducted operations with Royal Navy F-35B jets from HMS Prince of Wales over the Indian Ocean.​ The air exercise featured IAF AWACS and AEW&C aircraft, providing comprehensive airspace awareness and control capabilities.​

Operation Highmast Deployment

The UK Carrier Strike Group's participation forms part of Operation Highmast, an eight-month multinational deployment to the Indo-Pacific region involving 12 partner nations. This represents the UK's largest carrier strike group operation in the Indo-Pacific since 2021.​

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Exercise Konkan 2025 demonstrates the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership outlined in Vision 2035, encompassing defence, security, trade, technology, climate, and people-to-people connections. The exercise's evolution from basic interoperability drills since 2004 to complex multi-domain operations reflects the maturation of India-UK defence cooperation.​

This convergence of naval power, diplomatic engagement, and industrial cooperation marks a definitive advancement in India-UK strategic relations, positioning both countries as key partners in maintaining Indo-Pacific security.