INS Sahyadri and the Malabar Naval Exercise 2025
In News
INS Sahyadri, an Indian Navy guided-missile stealth frigate, has arrived at Guam (Western Pacific Ocean) to participate in the Malabar 2025 naval exercise.
The exercise features the four Quad nations — India, the United States, Japan, and Australia.
The event marks a significant step in maritime cooperation and strategic alignment among Indo-Pacific democracies.
About the Malabar Exercise
Origin:
Began in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the United States.
Expanded to include Japan in 2015 and Australia in 2020, making it a Quad naval exercise.
Objective:
To enhance interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and joint naval tactics.
To ensure freedom of navigation and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Strategic Significance
Strengthening the Quad:
Reinforces the strategic partnership among Quad nations for a “free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
Countering Chinese Influence:
Seen as a collective response to China’s expanding naval presence in the South China Sea and Western Pacific.
Enhancing Maritime Interoperability:
Provides a platform for joint operations, shared communication protocols, and common tactical understanding.
Indo-Pacific Security Architecture:
Symbolizes India’s growing role in maintaining the rules-based maritime order.
INS Sahyadri
Class: Shivalik-class (Project 17) multi-role stealth frigate.
Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
Commissioned: 2012.
Features:
Stealth design (reduced radar signature).
Capable of anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.
Equipped with BrahMos missiles, Barak-1 missiles, and torpedoes.
Historical Context
Malabar 1992: Bilateral between India and the U.S. in the Bay of Bengal.
2007 Expansion: Included Japan, Australia, and Singapore — later reduced due to China’s objection.
2015 Onwards: Permanent inclusion of Japan.
2020 Onwards: Australia formally joined, completing the Quad format.
Prelims Practice MCQs
Q. With reference to the Malabar Naval Exercise, consider the following statements:
The Malabar Exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between India and Japan.
Australia joined the exercise as a permanent member in 2020.
The 2025 edition of the exercise is being conducted near Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2, and 3
✅ Answer: B
Explanation:
The Malabar Exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States, not Japan.
Australia became a permanent participant in 2020, making it a Quad exercise (India, U.S., Japan, Australia).
The 2025 edition is hosted at Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Q. INS Sahyadri, recently in news, is:
A. A destroyer of the Rajput class
B. A Shivalik-class stealth frigate built indigenously in India
C. A Scorpene-class submarine built at Mazagon Dock
D. An aircraft carrier under the Indian Navy
✅ Answer: B
Explanation:
INS Sahyadri (F49) is a Shivalik-class multi-role stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) under Project 17.
It is equipped for anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare and has stealth features.