The P-8A detachment from the Tigers of Patrol Squadron (VP) 8, operating under Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72, also participated in the exercise’s amphibious landing drill the previous day, collecting data during a support mission over the operation to push information to forces on the ground to increase their battlespace awareness.

“The P-8A is a formidable platform that provides tremendous capability to nearly any operation,” said Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of Task Force 70 and the U.S. joint forces in Tiger Triumph. “Within 48 hours, our crew from VP-8 – working alongside our strategic partners in India, who also operate the P-8I – was able to directly support two very different missions in two different complex domains and enhance the outcome of both. The Poseidon’s presence at Tiger Triumph demonstrates the meaningfulness of interoperability, improved the quality of our joint combined training and better positioned the U.S.-India combined team for success in any future scenario.”

The ASW training consisted of deploying a dummy submarine in the Bay of Bengal, followed by the U.S. and Indian aircraft tracking its movements and relaying that information to supporting forces.

“VP-8 brings a lot of highly specialized experience and operational utility to the table,” said Lt. Joe Maldonado, CTF 72 liaison to the exercise command staff. “This exercise was a great opportunity to showcase that, learn from our counterparts in the Indian Navy and work through detailed planning and execution as a joint, combined force.”

Prior to the crew’s participation in the amphibious landing event, the team visited science and technology students at the Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu, India, to discuss careers in research and development, as well as some of the science behind their aircraft and its potential role in combined operations with the Indian Navy.

“Our team is thrilled to be in India for Tiger Triumph 2025, where we can bring this technology and expertise into a realistic training environment that prepares our joint, combined forces for any mission our nations may require,” said Lt. Noah Conner, officer in charge of the VP-8 detachment. "One of the most important parts of this exercise is building personal relationships and strengthening the bonds between our people, and that's what we’ve been able to do with the students at the university.”

Tiger Triumph is a joint and combined U.S.-India exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response readiness and interoperability. Tiger Triumph enables U.S. and Indian armed forces to improve interoperability and bilateral, joint, and service readiness in the Indian Ocean region and beyond to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

This is the fourth time U.S. and Indian forces have come together for Tiger Triumph and involved approximately 3,000 personnel and at least four ships and seven aircraft from the two countries.

Additional U.S. Navy units participating included the Whidbey Island-class landing ship dock USS Comstock (LSD 45), with embarked U.S. Marines from the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114).

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.