The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Anzac-class frigate HMAS Arunta has carried out a series of combined maritime operations during the multinational exercise Malabar 2022.
The 26th iteration of the exercise, which commenced on 8 November, involved participation of maritime forces and assets from the US, India, Australia and Japan.
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It was conducted off the coast of Japan in the Philippine Sea.
Together with Arunta, the RAN’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Farncomb, Supply-class oiler HMAS Stalwart and a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force participated in the exercise.
During the exercise, HMAS Arunta operated as part of a surface action group, comprising of other vessels from the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the US Navy.
The warships included JMSDF’s auxiliary oiler JS Oumi and destroyer JS Hyuga, India’s Kamorta-class anti-submarine frigate INS Kamorta along with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Milius.
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By GlobalDataBesides, the exercise saw the Anzac-class vessel conduct ‘dual replenishment’ exercise at sea, during which Arunta and USS Milius both simultaneously received fuel from Japanese tanker ship Oumi.
Another exercise involved Arunta’s MH-60R helicopter, named Athena, to safeguard the warship from incoming sub-surface threats.
Athena performed various submarine hunting drills with HMAS Farncomb and a JMSDF’s submarine, while the helicopter’s crew carried out a combined anti-air drill to evaluate their skillsets and onboard systems.
It saw the crew safeguarding Arunta against adversaries by engaging aerial targets.
Furthermore, the RAN’s MH-60R also conducted landing operations with USS Ronald Reagan and Japan’s ship Hyuga.
HMAS Arunta commanding officer commander Jason McBain said: “The exercise was a great opportunity to work with partner nations to improve interoperability and demonstrate Australia’s commitment to Indo-Pacific region.”
