The Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate, INS Sahyadri, has successfully completed participation in the sea phase of Exercise Malabar 2025, held from 13 to 17 November in the Northern Pacific near Guam.

The exercise brought together naval forces from India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—collectively known as the Quad partners—to hone advanced operational coordination and reinforce maritime security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.

The sea phase comprised intensive drills including Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), live gunnery firing, underway replenishment, and cross-deck helicopter operations.

These exercises tested interoperability across complex, multi-domain scenarios designed to simulate real-world contingencies in blue-water naval operations. The inclusion of Sea Rider exchanges between participating ships further deepened understanding of tactical procedures and promoted cross-learning across navies.

Prior to the at-sea operations, the harbour phase of Malabar 2025 featured joint operational planning sessions, discussions on communications protocols, familiarisation tours of participating vessels, and sports fixtures aimed at fostering camaraderie among crews. This phase served as the foundation for coordinated execution during the subsequent sea exercises.

INS Sahyadri’s performance in Malabar 2025 demonstrates India’s sustained commitment to collective maritime security. As a frontline platform of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, the frigate stands as an embodiment of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, showcasing advanced indigenous warship design and construction capabilities. Its record of participation in international exercises and operational deployments underscores the Navy’s readiness and technological advancement.

Exercise Malabar, originating as a bilateral India–US activity in the early 1990s, has evolved into a cornerstone quadrilateral naval engagement encompassing Japan and Australia. Beyond operational training, it symbolises a strategic alignment of like-minded democracies advocating for a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Though not a formal military alliance, the Quad progressively reinforces shared strategic trust through such high-tempo and complex multinational exercises.

For India, Malabar remains not only a forum for interoperability but also a mechanism to project indigenous capability and maritime influence across critical sea lanes.

The participation of INS Sahyadri in this year’s edition highlights the Indian Navy’s expanding blue-water outreach and its active role in ensuring regional stability through cooperative security frameworks.

Based On ANI Report