Kochi: Two US Naval vessels arrived in Kochi on September 25 to participate in the Indo-US joint Naval exercises to be held off the Kerala coast from September 29, Naval sources said.

They are USS Chancellorsville and USS Paul F Foster.

The three Indian ships participating in the exercises are INS Delhi, INS Gomathi, INS Aditiya and a submarine, the sources added

. This is the fourth of the "Malabar Series" of exercises, which had earlier been conducted in 1992, 1995 and 1996 off the Western Indian coast.

The exercises, to be held till Oct 2, would include all the three dimensions of the Naval exercises- surface, submarine and air. Anti-submarine warfare, flying exercises also would be held, the sources said.

The joint exercises would help in increasing the mutual interaction between the two navies in the professional field and also against the global war on terrorism, they added.

PTI