Exercise INDRA 2026, the bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy, commenced at Vladivostok and adjoining waters of the Sea of Japan on 13 October 2026. Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri reached Vladivostok on 10 October 2026 to take part in the six day drill scheduled till 18 October 2026. The exercise pairs INS Sahyadri with the Russian corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov to sharpen maritime cooperation and interoperability.
What Is the Indra Exercise? Overview and Core Mandate
The Indra exercise is a bilateral joint exercise conducted by India and Russia across land, sea and air domains. The naval component, often called Indra Navy or the Indra naval exercise, focuses on joint naval operations, common procedures for maritime security and the ability of the two fleets to work together at sea.
A joint naval exercise means warships from two countries train together under agreed rules. A bilateral naval exercise means only two navies take part, unlike a multilateral exercise where many navies join. Exercise INDRA belongs to the second type in its naval edition, with the Indian Navy on one side and the Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) on the other. Its core mandate has stayed steady over two decades. Counter maritime threats, keep sea lanes stable and build bridges of friendship through professional exchange.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Nature | Bilateral defence exercise between India and Russia |
| Naval arm | Indra Navy, the maritime leg of the Indra series |
| Started in | 2003 |
| Frequency | Held at regular intervals, broadly biennial, with venue rotation between India and Russia |
| Aim | Maritime cooperation, operational coordination and interoperability |
Indra Exercise Between Which Countries?
The Indra exercise is conducted between India and Russia. It pairs the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force with their Russian counterparts under a single bilateral framework. The 2026 naval edition continues this pattern with the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy training together at Vladivostok.
India and Russia describe their ties as a special and privileged strategic partnership. Defence links form a central pillar of that relationship. The two sides moved over time from a buyer seller model to joint research, joint production and regular service to service contact. Programmes often cited in this context include licensed production of fighter aircraft and T-90 tanks, supply of the S-400 air defence system and manufacture of AK-203 rifles in India through Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh. Officials of both countries have stated that Exercise INDRA is not aimed at any third country. Its purpose is to share best practices, improve joint tactics and deepen mutual understanding between uniformed personnel.
Indra Exercise Started in Which Year? Institutional Framework and Tri Service Evolution
The Indra exercise started in 2003 with naval drills proposed during defence talks that year. It began as Indra Navy and later expanded to land drills as Indra Army and air drills as Avia Indra. In 2017 India and Russia held it for the first time as a tri service exercise.
The name INDRA has no official full form in published government releases. It is used as a title for the India Russia series, while sub names show the service arm. Indra Army covers counter terrorism, counter insurgency and humanitarian assistance drills on land. Avia Indra or AviaIndra covers joint air action and air defence practice. Indra Navy covers anti submarine warfare, air defence at sea, surface firing, boarding drills and replenishment at sea.
A tri service exercise means the army, navy and air force train under one umbrella in the same cycle. The 2017 tri service edition was the first time India and Russia tried this combined format. Since then the services have also continued to meet in single service legs when schedules require it. The naval leg kept its two part design. A harbour phase on shore for planning and exchange, followed by a sea phase for live manoeuvres. That design appears again in INDRA 2026.
Indra Exercise 2026 Held in Which Place? Venue, Dates and Operational Scope
Exercise Indra 2026 is held at Vladivostok and the adjoining waters of the Sea of Japan. Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri arrived at Vladivostok on 10 October 2026. The bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy runs from 13 to 18 October 2026.
Vladivostok is the main base of the Pacific Fleet of Russia and the headquarters city for Russian naval power in the Pacific. The choice of venue keeps with the rotation principle. When Russia hosts, drills often centre on Vladivostok and the Sea of Japan. When India hosts, drills often centre on Visakhapatnam or Chennai and the Bay of Bengal.
Exercise INDRA 2026 follows the standard two part template. The harbour phase at Vladivostok covers professional interaction, operational planning, subject matter expert exchanges, reciprocal ship visits and pre sail briefings. The sea phase in adjacent waters covers coordinated manoeuvres and maritime evolutions. These include communication drills, formation sailing, tactical manoeuvres and exchange of sea riders. Sea riders are personnel who sail aboard the partner ship to observe procedures at close quarters. Social and cultural fixtures run alongside the operational calendar to build camaraderie and people to people links between crews.
Indian Navy Participation and Platform Profile: INS Sahyadri
The Indian Navy is represented in Exercise INDRA 2026 by a single major surface combatant, INS Sahyadri (F49). The ship is an indigenous Shivalik class guided missile stealth multi role frigate. A frigate is a medium sized warship built for escort, patrol and strike tasks. Stealth here means shaped hull lines and low emissions that reduce radar, infrared and acoustic signatures.
INS Sahyadri was built by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai and commissioned on 21 July 2012. It is the third and final ship of Project 17, after INS Shivalik and INS Satpura. The ship is based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command, which is headquartered at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Sahyadri has a long record in overseas engagement. It has taken part in the RIMPAC exercise, the International Fleet Review at Sydney and recent deployments to the South China Sea and Japan, including the Japan India Maritime Exercise in 2025.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Class | Shivalik class, Project 17, three ships in class |
| Displacement | About 4,900 tonnes standard and about 6,200 tonnes at full load |
| Dimensions | Length about 142.5 metres, beam about 16.9 metres |
| Propulsion | Combined diesel or gas arrangement with Pielstick diesel engines and General Electric LM2500 gas turbines |
| Speed and range | Top speed about 32 knots, range about 5,000 nautical miles |
| Complement | About 257 personnel, including about 35 officers |
| Aviation | Flight deck and hangar for two HAL Dhruv or Sea King type helicopters |
| Weapons and sensors | Mix of Russian, Indian and Israeli systems, including Shtil and Barak surface to air missiles, Klub and BrahMos cruise missiles, torpedo tubes, rocket launchers, 3D radar and hull mounted sonar |
Sahyadri sails with a wide sensor fit for its size. This includes the MR-760 Fregat 3D air search radar, ELTA surveillance radars and the HUMSA-NG hull mounted sonar array built for anti submarine detection. The mix makes the ship suited for the core INDRA tasks of air defence, surface action and submarine search.
Russian Participation and Pacific Fleet Profile: Hero Aldar Tsydenzhapov
The Russian Federation Navy is represented by the corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov. A corvette is a small warship built for coastal and near ocean tasks such as patrol, escort and submarine hunting. The ship belongs to the Steregushchiy class, also listed as Project 20380, and serves with the Pacific Fleet whose main base is Vladivostok.
The corvette is named after Seaman Aldar Batorovich Tsydenzhapov (1991 to 2010) of the Pacific Fleet destroyer Bystry. On 24 September 2010 a fuel line burst caused a fire in the engine room. Tsydenzhapov shut the fuel valve from inside the fire and stopped a possible explosion, saving about 300 crew members. He died of burns four days later. He was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation in 2011, the highest honorary title in Russia.
The ship that carries his name was built at Amur Shipyard and commissioned into the Pacific Fleet on 25 December 2020. It is a modernised Project 20380 unit with an integrated mast and Zaslon radar suite. Standard figures for the class list displacement of about 1,800 tonnes standard and 2,250 tonnes full load, length about 104.5 metres, speed about 27 knots, range about 4,000 nautical miles and a crew of about 100. Armament includes a 100 mm A-190 gun, Uran anti ship missiles, Redut air defence cells, Paket anti submarine torpedoes and a helicopter deck for a Ka-27 helicopter.
Indra Exercise 2025 Held in Which Place? Previous Edition Timeline and Continuity
The Indra naval exercise 2025, the 14th edition, was held off Chennai in India. The harbour phase ran at Chennai from 28 to 30 March 2025. The sea phase ran in the Bay of Bengal from 31 March to 2 April 2025 with Indian and Russian warships.
INDRA 2025 shows how the template repeats with only venue and platforms changing. India sent INS Rana, INS Kuthar and a P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. Russia sent ships from the Pacific Fleet, including the tanker Pechanga and the Steregushchiy class corvettes Rezkiy and Aldar Tsydenzhapov. Harbour work covered expert exchanges, reciprocal visits, sports fixtures and pre sail briefings. Sea work covered tactical manoeuvres, live weapon firings, anti air operations, underway replenishment, helicopter cross deck landings and exchange of sea riders.
| Edition and Year | Venue and Waters |
|---|---|
| INDRA Navy inception, 2003 | Initiated as India Russia naval drills |
| 8th edition, 2015 | Visakhapatnam and Bay of Bengal |
| 10th edition, 2018 | Visakhapatnam and Bay of Bengal, 9 to 16 December |
| 12th edition tri service, 2021 | Volgograd in Russia, 1 to 13 August, with 250 personnel from each side |
| 13th edition naval, 2023 | Bay of Bengal hosted by India, with Russian destroyers Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleyev |
| 14th edition naval, 2025 | Chennai and Bay of Bengal, 28 March to 2 April |
| INDRA 2026 naval edition | Vladivostok and Sea of Japan, 13 to 18 October 2026 |
The table underlines the rotation habit. India and Russia alternate as host. The Pacific Fleet provides Russian hulls in most naval editions, while the Eastern Naval Command provides Indian hulls when drills are held on the east coast.
India Russia Military Exercise Framework and Strategic Significance
The India Russia military exercise programme rests on annual defence dialogue and long term maritime contact. Exercise INDRA is the flagship bilateral drill in that system. Its value lies in procedure, not numbers. Two ships that can talk, replenish, track air contacts and board a suspect vessel together can later operate in larger groups with less risk.
For India, the 2026 edition connects directly with the MAHASAGAR vision, short for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. The vision was announced in March 2025 during the Prime Minister visit to Mauritius. It extends the earlier SAGAR approach, short for Security and Growth for All in the Region, from 2015. Where SAGAR centred on the Indian Ocean, MAHASAGAR speaks of cooperation across regions, with trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth and mutual security for a shared future. Participation of INS Sahyadri in the Pacific is presented as part of that wider outreach.
The timing also carries forward the momentum from the 23rd India Russia Annual Summit held on 4 and 5 December 2025. Annual summits set the political direction. Naval drills then test it at sea. Vladivostok matters in this picture. The port sits on the Sea of Japan near vital Pacific shipping routes. It hosts shipbuilding at Amur Shipyard and operational commands that watch over the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. An Indian frigate exercising there signals comfort with long range deployment far from home waters. For Russia, hosting India shows that its Pacific Fleet remains open to partnership despite competing pressures elsewhere.
Related Bilateral and Multilateral Context: Exercise Varuna and Exercise Milan 2026
The Indian Navy keeps a full calendar of partner drills. Two names help place INDRA in context. Exercise Varuna is the bilateral naval exercise between India and France. It ranks among the oldest and most complex in the Indian Navy calendar, with high end anti submarine, air defence and carrier drills. INDRA and Varuna together show how India builds separate bilateral tracks with major naval powers, each with its own procedures and trust level.
Exercise Milan 2026 shows the multilateral side. Milan began in 1995 with four navies at Port Blair. By February 2026 it had grown into a large gathering at Visakhapatnam, held with the International Fleet Review and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave of Chiefs from 15 to 25 February 2026. The 2026 gathering drew 42 ships, 29 aircraft and navies from 74 countries. The President of India reviewed the fleet at sea, with indigenous platforms including INS Vikrant on display. Where INDRA tests depth with one partner, Milan tests breadth with many. Both serve the same goal. A free, open and inclusive maritime order based on agreed rules, freedom of navigation and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Key Takeaways
- Exercise INDRA 2026 between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy runs from 13 to 18 October 2026 at Vladivostok and the Sea of Japan.
- The Indra exercise is conducted between India and Russia and started in 2003 as a bilateral naval drill.
- The 14th naval edition, INDRA 2025, was held at Chennai and the Bay of Bengal from 28 March to 2 April 2025.
- INS Sahyadri (F49), a Shivalik class stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Limited and commissioned on 21 July 2012, represents India in 2026.
- The Russian corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, a Project 20380 Steregushchiy class ship commissioned on 25 December 2020, serves with the Pacific Fleet based at Vladivostok.
- Participation in INDRA 2026 is linked to the MAHASAGAR vision announced in March 2025 and follows the 23rd India Russia Annual Summit held on 4 and 5 December 2025.
