Both are members of QUAD [Dialogue quadrilatéral pour la sécurité, c’est à dire une alliance destinée à contrer l’influence de la Chine dans la zone Indo-Pacifique, ndlr] with Japan and the United States, India and Australia agreed to strengthen their military ties in March.

“Prime Minister Modi and I discussed increasing global security uncertainties and committed to strengthening the India-Australia partnership in defense and security to address common challenges and work towards a stable, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” said Anthony Albanese, head of government Australia. He took this opportunity to salute “the wider sharing of information on defense matters”, particularly in the maritime field.

Since then, these words have been translated into action, even if the Indian troops did not take part in the landmark “Talisman Saber” maneuvers, which their Australian counterparts had just organized. Therefore, in July, the Indian Navy’s Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and the Indian Air Force’s Hercules C-130J transport aircraft [IAF] deployed to the Cocos Islands [ou îles Keeling]which has been an external territory of Australia since 1984.

And, on August 20, for the first time in its history, the Indian Navy dispatched one of its submarines, in this case the INS Vagir, to Fremantle. [Australie-Occidentale]. One P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is also expected to be on site to take part in “advanced” anti-submarine warfare exercises with the Australian Navy.

“This deployment will further enhance cooperation and synergy” between the two naval powers, said the Indian Navy, whose INS Vagir mission “highlighted its ability to conduct sustained long-range operations for long periods of time”. Please note, before leaving for Australia, this submarine had stopped in Sri Lanka.

Built by Indian shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited [MDL] Thanks to a technology transfer provided by French industrialist Naval Group, INS Vagir is the fifth of the six Kalvari/Scorpene type submarines expected by the Indian Navy. [trois autres devraient cependant être bientôt commandés, ndlr]. His acceptance for active service was officially announced on 23 January. In Australia, it has to compete with the Collins class submarines, from RAN.

In recent months, the Indian Navy has delivered the INS Sindhukesari submarine [classe Kilo] in Indonesia, which for him also had never happened before.

For India, deploying submarines away from their bases is a way of demonstrating its ability to monitor the Sunda and Lombok Straits, according to a study [.pdf] from the French Center for Naval Strategic Studies [CESM]it is an alternative to the Malacca Strait, through which most of the maritime traffic to Asia passes.

“China relies on the Malacca Straits for its supply of around 100% imported soybeans, 90% oil, 40% iron and 40% gas. The traffic volume of oil for China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea will amount to 450 million tons per year,” the study details.

Photo: Indian Navy