Tarang Shakti: "We are going to formalize pattern in which..."says Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari

"We are lacking a common data link to be able to share data with friendly foreign nations. The biggest lesson for us is to speed up the process of procuring and setting up a data link that can have interoperability with other air forces as well for future exercises," Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Thursday.

"We are now going to formalize the pattern in which we will hold such exercises, particularly Tarang Shakti, a multilateral one," he further said.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday attended the multilateral aerial exercise 'Tarang Shakti 2024'.

In his address, the Defence Minister said, "Indian Air Force and defence sector are moving ahead rapidly with resolution of self-reliant India".

He added that India's defence sector has taken strong steps towards indigenisation in the manufacture of weapons, platforms and aircraft.

Singh said, "We have become self-sufficient to a large extent in things like Light Combat Aircraft, Censors, Radars and Electronic warfare, and we are constantly striving to move ahead in these areas."

'Tarang Shakti' has been organised in two phases. Its first phase was organised in Sulur, while its second phase is being organised in Jodhpur.He said that when any exercise takes place on such a large scale, the countries participating in it learn a lot from each other. When an exercise of such complexity, and of such a large magnitude, takes place, soldiers with different work cultures, different air combat experiences, and warfighting principles learn a lot from each other. "We are not only the fastest growing economy in the world, but our armed forces are also considered one of the most powerful armed forces in the world," he said.

The multilateral aerial exercise 'Tarang Shakti 2024' on Thursday also showcased the display of Surya Kiran aircraft and Tarang helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF). (ANI)