The Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales and the Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant have successfully completed their first-ever dual-carrier operations during Exercise Konkan 2025 in the Arabian Sea — marking a historic milestone in UK–India maritime cooperation and strengthening joint security efforts across the Indo-Pacific.
According to the Royal Navy’s statement on October 15, 2025, HMS Prince of Wales led a Carrier Strike Group alongside INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier. Together, they executed coordinated flight operations, maritime strike drills, and replenishment-at-sea exercises, demonstrating a new level of operational integration between the two carrier forces.
During the exercise, Indian Air Force Su-30MKI and Jaguar fighters joined two British F-35B Lightning IIs for a joint flypast over HMS Prince of Wales — symbolizing the first combined carrier flight operations between the UK and India.
The high-tempo drills brought together the maritime air power of both nations. HMS Prince of Wales operated with a tailored air wing of six F-35B STOVL fighters and four Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters, while INS Vikrant embarked eight MiG-29Ks and four Kamov Ka-31 AEW helicopters, conducting simultaneous launch and recovery missions.
The exercise centered on integrated fleet defense and strike operations. British F-35Bs provided Combat Air Patrol (CAP) for the carrier group, while Indian Su-30MKIs and Jaguars simulated adversarial air incursions, supported by an Il-78 Mainstay AWACS. These engagements honed joint air defense coordination and multi-layered surveillance capabilities.
In parallel, anti-submarine warfare exercises were carried out using British Merlin helicopters and Indian P-8I Neptunes. The forces shared acoustic data, coordinated search grids, and executed joint targeting against simulated submarine threats.
A key achievement of Konkan 2025 was the seamless dual-carrier operations. Despite differing systems — STOVL on HMS Prince of Wales and STOBAR on INS Vikrant — both carriers synchronized launch and recovery cycles, managed airspace deconfliction, and shared mission data in real time, proving interoperability under complex conditions.
The 65,000-ton HMS Prince of Wales, a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, can embark up to 36 F-35Bs and 14 helicopters. The 45,000-ton INS Vikrant, India’s first homebuilt carrier, operates up to 26 fixed-wing aircraft. Together, they conducted cross-deck coordination and strike simulation missions, underscoring a growing maritime partnership between two of the world’s leading democracies.
Beyond combat scenarios, the exercise featured diplomatic and cultural engagements. HMS Prince of Wales docked in Goa, while HMS Richmond visited Mumbai, hosting a UK–India Defense Industry Forum led by British Defense Minister Lord Coaker, who emphasized expanding cooperation in shipbuilding, maritime security, and aerospace integration.
Cultural exchanges also took place, including a friendly football match between the Royal Navy and Indian Navy crews and a culinary event hosted by Indian food influencer Devashree Sanghvi.
Exercise Konkan 2025 has set a new benchmark for bilateral naval collaboration — demonstrating that two carrier doctrines, one centered on fifth-generation stealth aviation and the other on indigenous STOBAR operations, can function together under a unified command framework.
For both the Royal Navy and the Indian Navy, this was more than a training exercise — it was a strategic declaration of their intent to safeguard freedom of navigation and stability across the Indo-Pacific through combined carrier strike capability.
