SIMBEX-2026 Bilateral Maritime Exercise

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Key takeaways

The 33rd edition of SIMBEX-2026 started at Visakhapatnam with participation from India and Singapore.
This naval exercise began in 1994 under the original name of Exercise Lion King.
The ongoing Sea Phase scheduled from October 24-26 takes place in the Bay of Bengal.
Warships like INS Nilgiri, INS Kamorta, and RSS Supreme are actively participating in these multi-domain drills.

The 33rd edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-2026) officially started at Visakhapatnam.
Opening ceremonies took place onboard Indian Navy warships INS Nilgiri and INS Kamorta.

This is an annual and high-intensity bilateral maritime warfare exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy.
It stands as India's longest uninterrupted naval exercise conducted with any foreign maritime force.
India hosts the event through the Eastern Naval Command located at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The participating member nations are India and Singapore.
The main aim is to deepen professional ties and enhance tactical understanding between the two forces.
It helps achieve operational interoperability across various warfare domains and addresses shared security challenges across the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The exercise follows a two-phased execution plan.
The Harbour Phase features expert exchanges, cross-deck visits, and detailed operational planning.
The Sea Phase takes place from October 24-26.
Multi-domain naval operations during the Bay of Bengal Sea Phase involve anti-submarine warfare and firing drills against surface and air threats.
Participants also carry out advanced seamanship and coordinated fleet manoeuvres.
Frontline warships include Singapore's RSS Supreme, which is a Formidable-class stealth frigate.
India participates with its indigenous warships INS Nilgiri stealth frigate and INS Kamorta ASW corvette.
The exercise started back in 1994 as Exercise Lion King.
It has evolved from basic anti-submarine training into sophisticated multi-domain maritime warfare exercises over the years.

The exercise deepens defence cooperation between India and Singapore.
It enhances ASEAN maritime security and safeguards critical Sea Lines of Communication near the Malacca Strait.
It improves joint tactical coordination, communication, and operational readiness.
The drills strengthen responses to regional maritime threats and support a rules-based Indo-Pacific order.