71 warships, 50 aircraft converge off Vizag for mega joint naval events

Visakhapatnam: With 71 warships and nearly 50 aircraft from the USA, Russia, Japan, Australia and others, Visakhapatnam is hosting the International Fleet Review (IFR), the multilateral naval Exercise MILAN 2026, and the IONS Conclave from February 15 to 25. This edition of IFR and MILAN is unprecedented in scale, with navies from around 70 countries participating. Aircraft carriers, submarines, and frontline warships will converge, positioning India's eastern seaboard as a hub of naval diplomacy and multilateral maritime engagement. For the first time, IFR, MILAN and IONS are being held simultaneously, making this the largest edition yet. The events come amid a complex maritime environment shaped by China's rapid naval expansion and Pakistan's continued deployments in the Arabian Sea. India's ability to convene diverse navies underscores its growing strategic weight. China, which participated in the previous IFR-2016 held in Vizag, is not among the countries invited for IFR-2026. Turkey has also been left out of the current edition following Chinese and Turkish support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Vice-Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, said as Visakhapatnam hosts IFR, MILAN and IONS in close succession, this convergence represents a significant moment in India's maritime outreach and cooperative engagement with partner navies, he added. Exercise MILAN-2026, which kicked off on Feb 15 and continue till 25, will form a key pillar of India's historic maritime convergence alongside IFR and the IONS Conclave of Chiefs. As one of the largest multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, MILAN 2026 will bring together navies from across the globe to strengthen interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and collective response capabilities, Sanjay Bhalla added. The Harbour and Sea Phases of the exercise will focus on complex maritime operations including anti-submarine warfare, air defence, search and rescue, and cooperative security missions, reinforcing a shared commitment to free, open, inclusive, and rules-based seas. MILAN 2026 represents a major operational manifestation of the Prime Minister's MAHASAGAR vision, reaffirming India's role as a Preferred Security Partner and a responsible stakeholder in the global maritime commons. For the past two decades, India used IFRs and opened its ports to allied navies to project maritime strength, foster international cooperation, and establish its role in blue water operations. Warships from the Philippines and the UAE were participating for the first time. The presence of Southeast Asian navies, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, also underscored the Indian Navy's Act East outreach, with the events reinforcing India's maritime engagement with ASEAN partners along some of the world's busiest sea routes.GFXEvents To Showcase Anti-Sub, Air Defence, Rescue OpsCarriers, Subss, Warships Anchor India's Maritime OutreachIndia hosted the IFR twice earlier, in Mumbai in 2001 and in Vizag in 2016 IFR-2026 to begin in Vizag city with Presidential banquet on Feb 17 eveningTechnology will feature prominently at IFR-2026 Event to showcase indigenous ships, aircraft carriers, and destroyersIFR reflects India's transformation into a builder's navy President of India will conduct fleet review on Feb 18 City to host a colorful international city parade on Feb 19 evening India has excluded China & Turkey for IFR for their support to Pakistan IFR & MILAN help reduce operational friction and build confidenceFleet reviews have served as ceremonial demonstrations of naval capability At any given time, 50 foreign ships are operating in Indian Ocean, a critical global transit route