# Tarang Shakti exercise begins in Jodhpur with 80-plus aircraft

2026-09-26T02:11:16+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force's largest multilateral air combat exercise, begins on Saturday, September 28, 2026, at Air Force Station Jodhpur and runs until October 12. More than 80 Indian and foreign aircraft and around 1,500 personnel from eight air forces will take part, including the US, France, Germany, UAE, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Tribune reports the US Air Force's F-35 stealth fighters will operate alongside the IAF's Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas, Jaguars and Mirage-2000 for the first time in Indian airspace. Hindustan Times reports 32 nations will join as observers, including Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam. The French Air and Space Force has deployed four Rafale F4 fighters, three A330 MRTT tankers and two A400M aircraft as part of its Mission Pegase 26, which covers a 40,000-km route from the Arctic through East Asia. The Hindu quotes French Ambassador Thierry Mathou calling India a "core strategic defence partner" and stating the exercise reflects a shared commitment to Indo-Pacific security and freedom of navigation. The exercise features visual-range and beyond-visual-range combat missions, air-to-air refuelling, dynamic targeting, and combat search and rescue drills. A seminar on 'The Central Role of Air Power in the Evolving Battlespace' will be held on the sidelines. The Tribune notes the exercise tests India's ability to shape regional security architecture and showcase indigenous defence equipment.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All four sources cover Tarang Shakti as straight reporting, with no discernible pro-government or critical slant. The Tribune offers the broadest strategic context, linking the exercise to India's air power diplomacy and Atmanirbharta, while the other outlets focus on participant numbers, aircraft types, and French diplomatic statements. The uniform neutral framing suggests the exercise is treated as a routine military-diplomatic event rather than a politically charged one. The key concrete outcome to watch is whether the F-35's first participation with the IAF leads to deeper US-India interoperability commitments in follow-on bilateral exercises.

## Coverage

- tribuneindia.com (neutral report) <https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/tarang-shakti-tests-indias-air-power-diplomacy/>
  Reports facts with diplomatic framing but no partisan slant
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/more-than-80-aircraft-1-500-personnel-to-take-part-in-tarang-shakti-101790345540020.html>
  Repeats same factual content as source 2 without added slant
- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/french-rafales-mrtts-a400ms-arrive-in-jodhpur-for-tarang-shakti/article71509314.ece>
  Factual report focusing on French deployment and diplomatic statements
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/f35-rafale-among-80-aircraft-to-take-part-in-iaf-s-tarang-shakti-101790364504371.html>
  Repeats same factual content as source 2 without added slant

Tags: F-35, France, Indian Air Force, Jodhpur, Mission Pegase, Tarang Shakti
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