Ships at Sea [Image 24 of 27]

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76), AT SEA

10.20.2008

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Gary Prill 

U.S. Navy           

Lt. Vikram Kottaju, Indian air force Sea Harrier pilot, prepares to disembark from an EA-6B Prowler assigned to the "Cougars" of Tactical Electronic Warfare squadron 139 after completing a flight with three of the squadron's pilots. Kottaju, along with other Indian air force pilots, will fly side-by-side with other squadrons attached to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan as part of the exercise Malabar 08, which is designed to increase cooperation between the Indian navy and the U.S. Navy while enhancing cooperative security relationships between India and the U.S. The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is on a routine deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. Operating in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, the U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 50 ships, 120 aircraft and 20,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given time.

• Date Taken: 10.20.2008
• Date Posted: 08.24.2011 14:34
• Photo ID: 123692
• VIRIN: 081020-N-7730P-056
• Resolution: 2592x3872
• Size: 922.59 KB
• Location: USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76), AT SEA