The Indian Navy’s largest warfighting exercise, Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX) 2025.
India’s Biggest Naval Exercise TROPEX 2025
The Indian Navy’s largest warfighting exercise, Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX) 2025, is in full swing across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), pushing the limits of the country’s maritime combat capabilities in a rapidly evolving security landscape.
Conducted every two years, TROPEX is the Navy’s capstone operational-level war game, bringing together all three services—Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Coast Guard—to test their ability to function as a cohesive, battle-ready force. This year’s iteration, spread over three months from January to March 2025, comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, underscoring India’s focus on maritime dominance, joint operations, and preparedness against conventional, asymmetric, and hybrid threats.
Massive Force Mobilization in the Indian Ocean
This year’s exercise features a colossal deployment of military assets, including:
- 65 frontline Indian Navy warships, from aircraft carriers to destroyers
- 9 submarines, testing undersea warfare capabilities
- Over 80 aircraft, including fighters, surveillance planes, and drones
- Infantry Brigade with over 600 Indian Army troops, simulating amphibious landings
- Indian Air Force fighters and strategic air assets, including Su-30MKIs, Jaguars, and AWACS
- Indian Coast Guard patrol vessels and surveillance aircraft
At the heart of the exercise are the Navy’s most advanced platforms: the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, stealth destroyers from the Visakhapatnam and Kolkata class, and the Kalvari-class submarines, reinforcing India’s blue-water capabilities in an increasingly contested oceanic space.
Warfighting Scenarios Simulating Future Maritime Battles
TROPEX 25 is not just about fleet movements—it is designed to stress-test India’s maritime warfare doctrines. The exercise covers a wide range of combat operations, including:
- Naval warfare: Carrier battle group operations, missile strikes, submarine warfare
- Amphibious landings: Joint Army-Navy assault exercises along India’s coastline
- Cyber & electronic warfare: Simulated attacks on command networks, testing resilience
- Live weapon firings: Real-time testing of torpedoes, cruise missiles, and air defence systems
- Anti-submarine & air dominance drills: Coordinated operations with the IAF and Coast Guard
Message to the Region: India’s Expanding Maritime Reach
TROPEX 25 is not just a military drill—it’s a strategic message. The Indian Ocean has become a hotbed of geopolitical contestation, with China’s increasing presence through its String of Pearls strategy, piracy concerns, and growing naval competition among regional and global powers.
With the Quad alliance (India, US, Japan, Australia) ramping up naval cooperation and tensions flaring over China’s aggressive manoeuvres in the Indo-Pacific, India’s war games in its backyard serve as a reminder of its maritime power projection.
With China’s aggressive naval expansion, tensions in the South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean emerging as the next big battleground, India’s TROPEX 25 is a clear demonstration of strength, deterrence, and readiness.
