KOLKATA - India and Singapore have launched a week-long annual exercise in the South China Sea aimed at increasing the interoperability of their navies, The Statesman newspaper reported on Friday (May 19).

Four warships as well as long range anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8l of the Indian navy are participating in the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (Simbex), while Singapore sent a number of warships and Fokker F50 maritime patrol aircraft and F-16 aircraft.

The drills have been held since 1994.

"The thrust of exercises at sea this year is on Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), integrated operations with surface, air and sub-surface forces, air defence and surface encounter exercises," an Indian Navy spokesman was quoted by the report as saying.