INS Trishul Docks at Toulon for VARUNA-26, the 24th Edition of the India-France Naval Exercise

24 September 2026National

INS Trishul reached Toulon for the 24th edition of VARUNA, the India-France naval exercise running since 1993 and the flagship maritime pillar of the two countries' strategic partnership. Exercise VARUNA pairs the Indian Navy with the French Navy. The drills began in 1993 and were formally named VARUNA in 2001. The 2026 edition works on interoperability, exchange of operational experience and best practices, and mutual understanding of procedures. Toulon is France's principal Mediterranean naval base. VARUNA follows the 13th edition of SLINEX-26 with Sri Lanka at Visakhapatnam earlier in September 2026, showing India running neighbourhood Indian Ocean drills and long-range blue-water partnerships in parallel.

Static GK

Toulon: Main base of the French Navy on the Mediterranean coast | Other India-France exercises: Shakti (Army) and Garuda (Air Force) | India-Sri Lanka counterpart: SLINEX, whose 13th edition was held at Visakhapatnam

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