KOCHI: Frontline guided missile stealth frigate Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tarkash has arrived on an overseas deployment to South Africa to participate in the ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR IX 2026). Conducted biennially since 2008 under the IBSA trilateral initiative, the naval exercise brings together the Indian, Brazilian, and South African Navies to build operational interoperability, foster mutual tactical understanding, and strengthen collective maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
Operating under the theme “Stronger Together Towards a Shared Future in the Maritime Domain,” IBSAMAR IX will feature advanced exercises spanning surface warfare, anti-air defense, anti-submarine tactics, naval air integration, maritime interdiction, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) maneuvers, anti-piracy operations, and search-and-rescue drills. Participating naval assets include Brazil’s BNS Barroso equipped with an integral Lynx helicopter, South Africa’s SAS Amatola, SAS King Sekhukhune I, SAS Adam Kok III, and the SAS Manthatisi submarine, alongside India’s INS Tarkash featuring an embarked Chetak helicopter payload.
