Seven foreign air forces to join Tarang Shakti-26 exercise in Jodhpur

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Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, briefs the media ahead of Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Palam, in New Delhi on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ANI

The IndianAir Force will host the second edition of its multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti-26, at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, 2026. Seven foreign air forces — from the U.S., France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UAE — are participating.

The exercise will see the participation of advanced combat aircraft, including the U.S. Air Force’s F-35, the French Rafale, the UAE’s F-16 and a Bangladeshi C-130J. The IAF will field a range of its frontline platforms, including the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI.

Participation by the USAF F-35 marks a significant first for the exercise. Though the stealth fighter took part in Aero India 2025, its appearance in Tarang Shakti-26 will mark its first tactical participation in an exercise in India.

Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the IAF would exercise with the F-35 for the first time but indicated that details of the aircraft’s operational employment would remain subject to security considerations.

“For many years, operational engagement with foreign air forces was largely conducted through bilateral exercises. We learned to operate with one partner at a time. Tarang Shakti changed that approach. In 2024, we brought multiple air forces together for the first time in a large multinational air exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force,” he said.

“We now want to build on that experience, making Tarang Shakti 26 the next logical step. This year, invitations have been sent to 65 friendly foreign countries. The world around us, as you know, is changing very rapidly. The character of warfare is evolving,” he added.

The exercise marks the IAF’s continuing shift from predominantly bilateral engagements towards complex multinational air operations involving multiple air forces simultaneously.

The exercise assumes added significance amid the changing character of warfare, with recent conflicts highlighting the importance of integrated air and missile defence, precision strikes, unmanned systems, information dominance, and space-enabled capabilities.

“Operation Sindoor has reinforced many of these realities for us. It demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led operations, counter-UAS, and jointness across domains,” the Vice Chief said.

The IAF said the exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability among participating air forces, while providing a platform for exchanging operational experience and showcasing India’s air combat capabilities.

On deliveries of the LCA Mk1A, Mr. Dixit said, “Initially, the delay was due to engines. Now that we have procured the engines, we are conducting a thorough testing process for the aircraft, which we hope to complete in a month or two.” He added that the IAF is eagerly awaiting the aircraft.

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