Paschim Leher (XPL -18) Conducted in Arabian Sea

The Western Naval Command has carried out three-week long tri-Services maritime exercise termed ‘Paschim Leher (XPL – 2018)’ in the Arabian Sea from February 12 with an aim of building interoperability. In addition, units from Eastern Naval Command, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard also participated in the exercise. The exercise involves 40 warships and submarines, helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft and UAVs.

The exercise includes a number of weapon firings, including missile, gun and torpedo firings during the initial phase. The second phase is structured to validate and refine the operational plans of the Western Naval Command. The XPL 2018 enabled testing and revalidation of operational plans and manoeuvres in a hostile maritime scenario on India’s Western Seaboard. The maritime exercise, which came after the Eastern Naval Command Operational Readiness Exercise (ENCORE), is ostensibly being conducted to show China India’s military prowess.