Nirmala Sitharaman visits INS Vikramaditya; check out images onboard MiG 29K

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Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presided over India's show of Naval might on January 8 and 9, 2018. There was more than ten warships from the Indian Navy including aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, three submarines and various naval aircraft participated in the operational manoeuvres conducted off the western coast of India. Nirmala Sitharaman initially embarked INS Kolkata, the first of the indigenously built Kolkata Class destroyers and then spent the night at sea on-board INS Vikramaditya. To assess the performance of the carrier in real conditions, Sitharaman 'transited' through a simulated 'multi-threat' environment on-board along with her 'escorts' during January 8 night. Let us take a look at some of the images:

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Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman onboard MiG 29K during her visit to INS Vikramaditya on January 8 and 9, 2018 for witnessing Naval Operations and Maritime Prowess of Indian Navy Western Fleet. (Image: Twitter)

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Nirmala Sitharaman presided over a multiple complex naval operations including air interceptions, missile, gun and rocket firings, ship-to-ship replenishment, night flying and anti­submarine operations. (Image: Twitter)

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The Western Fleet of the Indian Navy undertook these major naval manoeuvres off the western seaboard of India to showcase operational excellence and combat capabilities. (Image: Twitter)

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Nirmala Sitharaman said "having witnessed first-hand the prowess of the Western Fleet, I am confident that the Indian Navy is fully capable of defending the nation against any form of threat”. (Image: Twitter)

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Smt Nirmala Sitharaman had a closer look at the Fleet ships through the telescopic sight mounted on a compass pelorus onboard INS Vikramaditya during the demonstration of Naval Operations and Maritime Prowess of Indian Navy's Western Fleet. (Image: Facebook)

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There is a shortage of 274 pilots in the Army and the Navy, the government today informed the Lok Sabha.

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Continuing the effort to collect feedback from Armed Forces Personnel at all operational levels of the military, Sitharaman interacted closely and had open discussions with the sailors on-board the warships. (Image: Twitter)