The maiden bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy has been named ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities — Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand. Both these cities have rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries.
‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which translates to ‘the invincible one’ or ‘undefeatable’, was conducted from December 20-23, 2023. Indigenously built Indian naval ships Kulish and IN-LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise. The Royal Thai Navy was represented by His Thai Majesty’s Ship (HTMS) Prachuap Khiri Khan.
During the maiden edition of the exercise, participating units from both navies conducted surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firing, seamanship evolutions and tactical manoeuvres.
The 36th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise. Maritime patrol aircraft from both navies participated in the sea phase of the exercise.
With the institution of a bilateral exercise, both navies have taken a step towards strengthening operational synergy and progressively increasing the exercise complexity.
As part of the central government’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security.
The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have maintained a close and friendly relationship which has strengthened over the years.