U.K., India Deploy Aircraft Carriers Together for First Time in Exercise Konkan

The Royal Navy and Indian Navy have deployed their carrier strike groups side by side for the first time as part of Exercise Konkan 2025, a bilateral naval exercise that has been a fixture of U.K.–India defence cooperation since 2004.

The latest edition, running from October 5 to 12, began with a harbour phase featuring professional exchanges, cross-deck visits and sporting events before moving into complex air and maritime operations off India’s west coast.

HMS Prince of Wales, leading the U.K. Carrier Strike Group under Operation Highmast, joined India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for a week of high-intensity sea drills. The exercise features coordinated air defence, anti-ship, and anti-submarine warfare operations, along with flying missions involving aircraft from both navies.

“This is the first time our carrier strike groups have operated together, underscoring the depth of U.K.–India defence cooperation,” said Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group.

Following the exercise, the U.K. strike group will make port visits to Mumbai and Goa, and later take part in a one-day aerial defence exercise with the Indian Air Force.

HMS Prince of Wales is a 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier operating F-35B Lightning jets and Wildcat helicopters as part of Britain’s fifth-generation maritime strike capability.

India’s INS Vikrant, commissioned in 2022, represents a milestone in the country’s naval shipbuilding program and its ambitions as a blue-water power.

Only a limited number of nations operate fixed-wing aircraft carriers, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, India, China and Japan. Russia’s sole carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, remains sidelined amid stalled repairs, raising questions over its operational status within this exclusive group.