The Indian Navy has spent the past three months operating across three oceans and its stealth frigate INS Sahyadri is now at the centre of that effort. The ship arrived at Yokosuka in Japan on Wednesday to take part in the multilateral maritime exercise Malabar 2026, the Indian Embassy in Japan said. Vice Admiral Yagi Koji, Commandant Yokosuka District, and the Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Madhu Sundan, attended the ceremonial reception.Sahyadri reached Japan after finishing the India-Republic of Korea Navy (IN-RoKN) bilateral exercise at Busan, where it had arrived on October 26. The harbour phase included professional discussions, cross-deck visits, operational briefings and subject matter expert exchanges, along with cultural and sporting events. At sea, the frigate and the South Korean destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great carried out coordinated navigation, helicopter operations and joint manoeuvres. The Ministry of Defence said the engagement strengthened maritime cooperation and interoperability between the two navies.A seasoned participantThe frigate is now taking part in Exercise Malabar for the second time in a row, Sahyadri took part in the sea phase of the exercise, held from November 10 to 18, with the navies of India, Japan, Australia and the US. That edition covered anti-submarine warfare, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS), gunnery firing, underway replenishment and cross-deck helicopter operations, with the harbour phase held in Guam. Malabar series ofexercises began as a bilateral naval wargame between India and the US in 1992. The exercise has since added Japan and Australia as the other participants. All four nations are members of the QUAD grouping.Sahyadri is the third ship of the Shivalik-class guided-missile stealth frigates, designed and built in India and commissioned in 2012. It carries weapons and sensors to counter threats in the air, on the surface and underwater. In October 2025, it took part in the Japan-India Maritime Exercise, which included anti-submarine warfare and missile-defence drills, and it has also exercised with other navies, including France’s.A packed deployment calendarSahyadri’s presence in Yokosuka is one part of a wider run of engagements since September. INS Trishul took part in the 24th edition of Exercise Varuna with the French Navy after reaching Toulon on September 22, working alongside French frigates, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft. It then joined Exercise Konkan-26 with the Royal Navy off Plymouth from October 8 to 15, and trained with German and Norwegian warships during its deployment.In Africa, INS Tarkash reached Simon’s Town on October 11 for the ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR), which covered surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction and anti-piracy operations. Sahyadri itself had arrived in Vladivostok on October 10 for Exercise INDRA-2026 with the Russian Navy, held from October 13 to 18. The Navy also took part in the 33rd edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-2026).Together with the ongoing maritime deployments and INS Sudarshini’s Lokayan-26 voyage, these engagements show how India is trying to sustain naval cooperation across regions under its MAHASAGAR vision. Malabar will test how well that spread translates into coordination with its closest Indo-Pacific partners.