The 24th edition of the MALABAR naval exercise began on November 3, 2020. The exercise will be held in two two phases.
- Phase 1 of the Exercise MALABAR 20 involving participation by Indian Navy (IN), United States Navy (USN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is being held in Visakhapatnam in Bay of Bengal.
- MALABAR series of maritime exercises commenced in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and USA. Japanese Navy joined MALABAR in 2015. The 2020 edition will now witness participation of the Australian Navy in this joint maritime exercise.
- Indian Navy units participating in the exercise include destroyer Ranvijay, frigate Shivalik, Off Shore Patrol Vessel Sukanya, Fleet Support Ship Shakti and submarine Sindhuraj.
- In addition, Advanced Jet Trainer Hawk, long-range maritime patrol aircraft P-8I, Dornier maritime patrol aircraft, and helicopters will also be participating in the exercise.
