Two MiG-29K fighter jets produced in Russia took off simultaneously from the Indian aircraft carriers Vikramaditya and Vikrant and landed cross-deck in footage captured in the Arabian Sea region that was released by the country’s navy.

The maneuver – which was conducted to show the navy’s operational readiness – was part of the country’s first Naval Commanders’ Conference, which concluded last Friday. The first part of the conference, which featured Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, was conducted aboard the Vikramaditya in the middle of the sea.

The twin carrier operations were reportedly conducted to demonstrate that INS Vikrant – India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, commissioned in September 2022 – has been fully integrated into naval operations. The Vikramaditya was purchased from Russia in 2004 after years of negotiations for $2.35 billion and commissioned in 2013.

The aircraft carrier was originally built as ‘Baku’ by the Soviet Union and commissioned in 1987. The Russian-made MiG-29K has been a mainstay in the Indian Navy since 2009.

At the conference, Singh mentioned recent incidents in the Middle East and the adjoining seas and stressed the leadership role expected of the navy in ensuring peace in the Indian Ocean Region, according to a report in The Hindu.