THE US F-35 stealth fighter will take part in Exercise Tarang Shakti in Jodhpur for the first time, with seven foreign nations joining the second edition of the Indian Air Force’s multilateral air exercise from September 26 to October 12.
The participating countries are the US, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UAE, the Indian Air Force said on Tuesday.
India will showcase Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI aircraft, among other air assets, during the exercise. The IAF said the exercise is aimed at showcasing India’s defense capabilities and providing a platform to foster interoperability.
A senior IAF official said about 60-80 Indian Air Force assets, including those for static displays, will be part of the exercise.
Among the foreign aircraft taking part, the US F-35, France’s Rafale, UAE’s F-16 and Bangladesh’s C-130J will display "high-octane joint tactical manoeuvres" over two weeks at the Jodhpur Air Force Station, the IAF said.
The F-35 had taken part in Aero India 2025, but officials said this will be its first appearance at Exercise Tarang Shakti.
The exercise will take place after the Veer Guardian exercise, a bilateral air exercise between India and Japan that is being held at the same venue from September 9-22.
The first edition of Tarang Shakti was held in 2024 in two phases at Sulur in Tamil Nadu and Jodhpur. Fighter aircraft from the UK, Germany and France, among other countries, took part in that exercise.
At a briefing on Tuesday, senior IAF officials gave details of this year’s exercise. Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit later briefed and interacted with mediapersons.
"The scale and operational output of Tarang Shakti 2024 was significant. Across the two phases, 11 countries participated with their air assets, with 45 aircraft undertaking 76 missions, generating more than 800 sorties and over a thousand flying hours," he said.
"This year, invitations have been sent to 65 friendly foreign countries," Dixit said.
Asked whether ongoing geopolitical issues had contributed to the lower number of foreign participants this year, Dixit said each exercise conducted by the IAF has its own construct and that current geopolitical issues were not a factor.
Dixit was also asked whether invitations had been extended to Russia, Israel or any other country in West Asia apart from the UAE.
Without giving a specific response, he said each exercise has a different construct and that the IAF already conducts bilateral exercises with many countries.
He also provided details of the air assets of the participating countries.
"The composition itself tells the story. We have F-35s, F-16s, Rafales, A400ms, MRTTs, KC135s and other specialised platforms," the air marshal said.
Some other nations will participate as observer countries, officials said.
Dixit said the air chiefs or equivalents of 10 countries are expected to take part in the exercise.
Indian Air Force Day on October 8 will also be marked through special engagements, officials said.
