The SIMBEX-2026 naval exercise between India and Singapore opened at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, as the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) frigate RSS Supreme sailed in to join the Indian Navy for six days of drills.

This is the 33rd edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise. It runs until 26 October.

The opening ceremony was held aboard INS Nilgiri and INS Kamorta. The Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the Eastern Naval Command and the Fleet Commander of the RSN attended, along with other senior officers from both navies.

SIMBEX-2026 naval exercise opens with harbour phase

The exercise is split into two phases. The Harbour Phase runs from 21 to 23 October at Visakhapatnam. Crews from both sides will hold professional interactions and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs), visit each other's ships, play sports together and hold planning conferences for the work at sea.

The Sea Phase of the SIMBEX-2026 naval exercise follows from 24 to 26 October in the Bay of Bengal.

At sea, the two navies will carry out Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), anti-surface and anti-air warfare drills. Seamanship evolutions and tactical manoeuvres are also planned. The aim is to sharpen interoperability and work together on common maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

RSS Supreme back after SIMBEX 2025

RSS Supreme is the sixth and last of the RSN's Formidable-class stealth frigates, launched in Singapore in 2006. The class displaces about 3,200 tonnes and carries an S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter.

The frigate knows this exercise well. It took part in the 32nd edition, which Singapore hosted from 28 July to 1 August 2025. India sent the Shivalik-class frigate INS Satpura that year. The shore phase was held at Changi Naval Base, and the sea phase in the southern reaches of the South China Sea, with aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force joining in.

Indian hosts lead their classes

INS Nilgiri is the lead ship of the Project 17A stealth frigates and was commissioned in January 2025. INS Kamorta is the first of the Navy's Project 28 anti-submarine warfare corvettes, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata.

From Exercise Lion King to 33 editions

SIMBEX began in 1994 as Exercise Lion King.

It has grown in scope and complexity over three decades, building professional ties, mutual understanding and operational interoperability between the two navies. Singapore's Ministry of Defence describes it as one of the RSN's longest-running bilateral exercises and the longest continuous bilateral naval exercise India has held with any country. The 31st edition ran from 23 to 29 October 2024.

Eastern Fleet active across Southeast Asia

Indian warships have been busy in the region this autumn. INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish took part in the ADMM-Plus maritime security activity at Subic Bay in the Philippines in September.

INS Kulish then called at Tuas, Singapore, on 6 October for an operational turn round, during which its Commanding Officer called on the High Commissioner of India and laid a wreath at the Kranji War Memorial. Closer home, Visakhapatnam hosted the Sri Lanka Navy for SLINEX-26, which wrapped up in September after a sea phase that included night replenishment at sea.