INS Sahyadri, the Indian Navy's indigenous guided missile stealth frigate from the Eastern Fleet, arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on November 4 to take part in the multilateral naval exercise Malabar 2026, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday, November 5.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) gave the ship a ceremonial welcome on arrival. The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Yagi Koji, Commandant of the Yokosuka District, and R Madhu Sudan, Deputy Chief of the Indian Mission in Japan, the ministry said, describing the welcome as a reflection of the enduring strategic partnership and growing maritime cooperation between India and Japan.

Four navies, harbour phase first, then sea drills

Malabar 2026 brings together the navies of India, Japan, the United States and Australia — the four Quad countries. According to the JMSDF, the exercise runs from November 5 to 12 in the waters south of the Kanto region, around Tokyo. It begins with a harbour phase of professional interactions and coordinated planning, followed by a sea phase in which INS Sahyadri will operate alongside units of the other three navies to enhance operational coordination, strengthen interoperability and exchange professional expertise.

Source: NewKerala (JMSDF statement)

Japan has listed the helicopter destroyer JS Ise, the frigate JS Mogami, a submarine and a P-1 maritime patrol aircraft for the drills, while Australia has deployed the frigate HMAS Stuart and a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, according to the JMSDF statement reported by NewKerala.

INS Sahyadri reached Yokosuka after concluding a bilateral exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy at Busan in South Korea. The same frigate had also represented India in the sea phase of Malabar 2025, held off Guam last year.

Source: India Strategic

Malabar began in 1992 as a bilateral India–United States naval exercise and has since grown into the Quad navies' principal multilateral maritime engagement in the Indo-Pacific, hosted in rotation by the participating countries.