Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 Flying Phase Opens at Jodhpur

The Indian Air Force has moved Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 into its operational flying phase at Air Force Station Jodhpur, one day after the drill was formally opened. The multilateral air exercise runs from 26 September to 12 October 2026 and has been given the theme Power in Partnership, a line the Air Force uses for the strength that comes from training together, sharing expertise and building the ability to operate as one.

Seven partner air forces

Contingents from seven friendly foreign countries are flying in the exercise: Australia, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Several more air forces are present only as observers, so the reach of the drill goes beyond the nations that brought aircraft with them.

The aircraft on the ramp

The visiting fleet covers combat, airlift and air-to-air refuelling roles together. The fighters include the F-35 Lightning II, the Rafale and the F-16. The heavy and tanker types include the A400M, the MRTT, the C-130 and C-130J, and the KC-30A. Indian crews will fly frontline platforms and support elements alongside them across a spread of missions.

Second edition of a young exercise

Tarang Shakti was flown for the first time in 2024, and this is the second time India is hosting it. For the visiting squadrons the value lies in advanced joint training, in comparing operating procedures and in flight safety practice; for the host it is an occasion to show what the Indian aerospace and defence industry now builds at home.

Not only flying

The programme around the sorties is unusually wide. It takes in a dedicated seminar, an industrial tour for the visiting contingents, the Sekhon Marathon, heritage tours and yoga sessions. The idea is to put aircrew, mission planners and ground support teams together away from the flight line, so that the professional exchange continues after the last aircraft of the day has landed.