New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) The Indian Navy's P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft arrived on Monday at the La Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean on a five-day mission to undertake coordinated surveillance with French warships in the region.

The Indian and French navies have been regularly undertaking coordinated operations.

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"During the deployment scheduled from May 9 to 13, the P-8I aircraft will engage with French warships operating in the region and undertake coordinated surveillance missions in area to enhance maritime safety and security in the Southern Indian Ocean, including the Mozambique Channel," an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

He said the P8 aircraft had previously operated from La Reunion in March 2020.

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The aircraft, with its superior maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and operational readiness, has proven to be an important asset to the Navy.

The Indian Navy was the first international customer of the P-8 aircraft.

The aircraft is also operated by the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)