Tarang Shakti exercise begins in Jodhpur with 80-plus aircraft

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.