Anti-Submarine Warfare To Cross Deck Helicopter Ops: How INS Sahyadri Powered Through Malabar 2025’s Sea Phase
INS Sahyadri had made a port call at Guam on November 7, as part of its ongoing deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Image courtesy: X.com/@indiannavy
QUAD’s joint naval exercise – Malabar 2025 – concluded on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) with a showcase of the group’s naval strength and Indo-Pacific commitment. Exercise Malabar 2025 took place in the West Pacific training area near Guam, with India’s INS Sahyadri, a guided-missile stealth frigate, representing our maritime power.
INS Sahyadri’s participation in the demanding sea phase of Exercise Malabar 2025 (November 13-17, 2025) off Guam marked a significant operational and strategic milestone for India’s maritime posture. As a frontline indigenously built guided-missile stealth frigate, the ship’s role in advanced combat drills reaffirms India’s deepening naval partnerships with the US, Japan, and Australia under the QUAD framework.
Prior to the sea phase, the naval ships of the US, Japan, India and Australia engaged in the harbour phase, which ran from November 10-12, 2025. It focused on operational planning sessions, coordination meetings, and discussions on communication protocols among participating navies.
Exercise Malabar 2025: What did the high-tempo sea phase include?
Held from November 13 to 17, the sea phase featured some of the most complex naval warfare exercises. Indian Navy on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) informed that the four-day high tempo sea phase included Anti-Submarine Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), gunnery firing, underway replenishment, and cross deck helicopter operations.
These drills enhance real-world readiness against submarine threats, maritime piracy, and high-seas contingencies. Sea riders were also exchanged among participating units to deepen interoperability and share tactical best practices, the Indian Navy shared on X.
How does INS Sahyadri showcase India’s ‘aatmanirbhar’ naval capability?
As one of India’s indigenous Shivalik-class stealth frigates, INS Sahyadri’s deployment to Guam underscores India’s maturing shipbuilding ecosystem. Its participation in Malabar further signalled the confidence with which Indian-built platforms can operate.
Over the years, Sahyadri has been an active participant in several bilateral and multilateral exercises and operational deployments across the Indian Ocean and beyond. Its inclusion in Malabar 2025 is a testament to the ship’s operational versatility and the Indian Navy’s expanding blue-water capabilities.
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What happened during Exercise Malabar 2025’s harbour phase?
Ahead of the sea drills, the harbour phase saw operations teams from the four navies conduct detailed planning sessions, cross-deck visits, and interoperability briefings. Sports fixtures and crew interactions helped strengthen personal and professional bonds, reinforcing the human dimension of multinational cooperation.
According to the Ministry of Defence, India’s participation underscores its commitment to a stable, rules-based maritime order. With rising tensions over freedom of navigation, grey-zone activities, and submarine proliferation in the region, the coordinated presence of QUAD navies sends a clear message of collective vigilance.
