Four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35 fighters jets joined the 27th edition of Malabar naval exercise involving Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., which concluded on the east coast of Australia off Sydney on Monday. Australia hosted the multilateral exercise for the first time.
Four RAAF F-35s and two Hawk advanced jet trainers joined the sea phase of the exercise, a diplomatic source said. The exercise was held from August 11-21 consisting of harbour and sea phases.
“At the culmination of five days of multifarious exercises, Exercise Malabar vividly showcased the strong cooperation, shared values and the collective ability of the four participating nations to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, promoting peace and security for all,” the Indian Navy said in a statement. The exercise saw participation of ships, submarines and aircraft from the Indian Navy, Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and the U.S. Navy (USN), it stated.
