Five Indo-Pacific partners, Indian Navy, US Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Maritime Self‑Defense Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force, have begun two-week Exercise Sea Dragon 2026 at Andersen Air Force Base from March 16. The drill deploys P-8I, P-8A and P-1 maritime patrol aircraft to practise advanced anti-submarine warfare.
New Delhi: Amid ongoing conflict between US-Israel and Iran, the United States, India, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand have begun Exercise Sea Dragon in Guam, focusing on advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) in the Indo-Pacific region. The participation of these navies comes amid heightened focus on undersea warfare capabilities across the region.
The Indian Navy has deployed its Boeing P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft to Exercise Sea Dragon 2026, a US Navy-led multinational anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training activity. The exercise which began on March 16, will conclude in two weeks at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
The exercise brings together ASW forces from five nations in one of the Indo-Pacific’s most demanding undersea warfare training environments.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has confirmed the deployment of a P-8A Poseidon and 50 aviators from the recently re-formed No. 12 Squadron to the exercise.
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Apart from India and Australia, the US Navy has deployed its two P-8A Poseidon aircraft, one each from Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 and VP-45, one P-1 from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and one P-8A from the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in the multinational exercise Sea Dragon 2026. During two-long week activities, the naval personnel will test the detection and tracking of both simulated and live submarine targets, with an emphasis on speed, accuracy, and coordinated mission execution.
RAAF Detachment Commander Squadron Leader Bryce Martin described the exercise as critical to maintaining operational edge, noting that the training area’s scale enables crews to refine coordination across national boundaries, a capability that has taken on renewed importance as allied navies recalibrate their posture in the Western Pacific.
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The Iran angle
It is pertinent to mention here that though the Sea Dragon exercise is an annual event but it is unfolding in the backdrop of a widening conflict in the Middle East.
The P-8I’s role
India operates a fleet of P-8I Neptunes as its primary long-range maritime reconnaissance and ASW platform, and has been among the earliest operators outside the United States of the P-8 family.
The aircraft carries advanced sensors, sonobuoys, and anti-submarine torpedoes, making it directly comparable to the RAAF’s P-8A variant and the US Navy’s own fleet.
Exercise Sea Dragon provides a structured environment to test interoperability between these near-identical platforms operated by different nations, standardizing data links, communication protocols, and tactical procedures that would be essential in any real-world combined ASW operation.