- By Aditya Jha
- Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Indian Navy achieved a massive milestone in undersea operations with the successful deployment of its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) Tiger X during a multinational submarine rescue exercise hosted by the Singapore Navy, the Defence Ministry informed. The feat was remarkable, as India's submarine rescue capability was tested outside the Indian Ocean region for the first time. The DSRV executed a full-spectrum rescue drill in the South China sea with allied submarines under emergency conditions.
XPR-25 exercise: Details
- The exercise was held between September 15 and 25 in Singapore, featuring more than 40 countries.
- The XPR-25 exercise was conducted in two phases, a shore phase (September 15-20) and a sea phase (September 21-25).
- The defense ministry stated that the exercise was aimed at enhancing coordination and interoperability in submarine rescue.
- Three rescue units embarked on Mother Ships (MoShip) MV Swift Rescue (RSN), JS Chiyoda (Japan) and INS Nistar operated alongside the submarines from the Korea Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) and RSN, simulating as Disabled Submarines (DISSUBs), reported ANI, citing defence ministry.
The defence ministry informed that the navy achieved a massive feat on September 23 as the DSRV undertook its maiden dive outside the Indian Ocean Region. It achieved successful mating with ROK Navy's Submarine Shin Dol-SeokS-082 and RSN's submarine RSS Invincible. XPR-25 marked a remarkable moment in India's submarine rescue journey, with the DSRV's first foreign submarine matings and participation in a multinational coordinated rescue drill.
VIDEO | South China Sea: The Indian Navy’s Submarine Rescue Unit (East), embarked on INS Nistar, showcased precision and professionalism at XPR-25, hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Over three successive days, the unit achieved three successful matings with… pic.twitter.com/HC17oeuycV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 1, 2025
Apart from this, the exercise was also the first operational deployment of India's indigenously designed Diving Support Vessel (DSV), INS Nistar. The 118-meter-long vessel was built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) and was commissioned on July 18. Currently, India operates two DSRVs produced by the UK-based firm James Fisher Defence (JFD Global). The 193 million pound contract between the Indian government and the British firm was signed in 2016.