In a significant demonstration of joint maritime capability and strategic alignment, the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy and the Indian Navy executed their first-ever dual aircraft carrier operations in the Indo-Pacific. The exercise featured the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth and India’s INS Vikrant operating together—a landmark moment underscoring deepening defense ties amid rising tensions in the region.
Dual-Carrier Operations: A Strategic Milestone
The bilateral exercise took place in October 2025 in the Bay of Bengal and eastern Indian Ocean region. It marked the first time that both navies deployed their respective aircraft carriers simultaneously for coordinated operations. The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), a 65,000-tonne conventionally powered carrier equipped with F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, operated alongside India’s indigenously built 45,000-tonne INS Vikrant (IAC-1), which carries MiG-29K multirole fighters.
According to official releases from both navies, the drills included complex air operations involving fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from both carriers. These were supported by accompanying surface combatants—Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers from the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), as well as Indian Kolkata-class destroyers and Shivalik-class frigates.
The dual-carrier configuration allowed for integrated flight deck operations, cross-deck aircraft movement simulations (though no actual cross-deck landings occurred), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) coordination using embarked helicopters such as Merlin HM2s and MH-60Rs, as well as simulated long-range strike missions using carrier-based assets.
Operational Objectives and Tactical Value
The primary aim of these drills was to enhance interoperability between two major blue-water navies that are increasingly aligned on maintaining a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific. Specific objectives included:
- Coordinated air tasking between dissimilar carrier air wings
- Joint command-and-control procedures for multi-carrier task forces
- Surface action group integration for layered defense scenarios
- ASW tactics using combined sonar nets and airborne sensors
This level of operational complexity required robust C4ISR integration. Both navies employed Link-based tactical data exchange systems—India’s indigenous Combat Management System (CMS) interfaced with NATO-standard systems aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth via secure gateways. While full data fusion was not achieved due to classification boundaries, partial track sharing reportedly occurred during simulated threat engagements.
Strategic Significance Amid Regional Tensions
The timing of this exercise is notable given escalating tensions across key flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific—from Taiwan Strait dynamics to Chinese naval assertiveness near India’s Andaman & Nicobar Command area. While neither navy explicitly named China as a factor behind these drills, analysts widely interpret this show of force as a calibrated signal to Beijing regarding multilateral deterrence capabilities.
This dual-carrier operation also reinforces India’s emergence as a credible regional power capable of sustained expeditionary naval presence. For the UK—whose “Indo-Pacific tilt” under its Integrated Review policy seeks deeper security ties east of Suez—the deployment affirms London’s commitment to collective maritime security through partnerships rather than permanent basing.
Platform Capabilities: Vikrant vs Queen Elizabeth
The exercise offered an opportunity to compare two very different carrier platforms operating side-by-side:
- INS Vikrant (R11): STOBAR configuration; ski-jump launch; MiG-29K fighters; max displacement ~45,000 tonnes; top speed ~28 knots; limited AEW capability via Ka-31 Helix helicopters.
- HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08): STOVL configuration; F-35B stealth jets with vertical/short takeoff; displacement ~65,000 tonnes; integrated Phalanx CIWS & Sea Ceptor SAMs; advanced C4ISR suite including Artisan radar & S1850M long-range air surveillance radar.
The technological edge clearly rests with HMS Queen Elizabeth due to its fifth-generation air wing and sensor fusion capabilities. However, INS Vikrant represents India’s strategic leap into indigenous carrier design—a milestone that enhances self-reliance under its “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative.
Future Cooperation Trajectory
This historic drill is expected to lay groundwork for more frequent high-end naval engagements between New Delhi and London. Officials hinted at future tri-lateral or multilateral exercises involving other Quad nations such as Japan or Australia under frameworks like Exercise MALABAR or Pacific Vanguard.
The UK has also expressed interest in increased port calls at Indian naval facilities such as Visakhapatnam or Port Blair—potentially enabling logistics support agreements akin to those signed with Japan or Australia under reciprocal access arrangements.
Additionally, defense-industrial collaboration may receive a boost from this operational synergy. BAE Systems has previously offered support for India’s future carrier programs—including EMALS/CATOBAR technologies—and Rolls-Royce continues engagement on potential nuclear propulsion options for IAC-II class carriers now under conceptual design phase by India’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND).
A Template for Multinational Carrier Task Forces?
This dual-carrier drill sets an important precedent beyond bilateral ties—it demonstrates how disparate naval doctrines can converge operationally when shared interests align. As threats become transnational—from hypersonic missile proliferation to gray-zone maritime coercion—such coalitions may offer scalable deterrent frameworks without requiring formal alliances like NATO.
If replicated with additional partners or expanded into persistent task forces akin to Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in Gulf waters, these drills could evolve into standing multinational formations capable of rapid crisis response across chokepoints like Malacca Strait or South China Sea transit corridors.
