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The second edition of the multinational air exercise "Tarang Shakti" began at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan on Saturday, with over 40 countries set to take part in the drills.
In a post on X, the Indian Air Force welcomed participating contingents, saying, "A warm welcome to our friends from across the skies as they touch down at Jodhpur. Welcome to India. Welcome to Tarang Shakti." https://x.com/IAF_MCC/status/2103735591414403152 The Indian Air Force highlighted a few countries like the UAE, France and Australia in its post. Earlier on Friday, the French Air and Space Force arrived at AFS Jodhpur to participate in the exercise. Deputy Commander of the French Air Defence and Air Operations Command Julien Sabene said that the exercise was important for France and highlighted the strategic partnership between the two countries. Speaking to ANI, Sabene said, "This exercise is quite important for us. That is why we went across the world just to make it here on time. Bringing four jets from the other side of the world with the PEGASE 26 mission... India is a global strategic partner of France, very important, and we want to show how committed we are to working side by side with our partner... We will have a total of seven Rafales with us to work side by side with the Indian Air Force." On Indias plan to buy 114 French Rafale jets, he said, "India is a sovereign country... We are so happy they are buying from the French Air and Space Force... We plan to exchange best practices... We definitely look forward to having Indian aircraft with the French-built Rafale." The exercise is scheduled to take place at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, with foreign nations joining the drills with a wide range of aerial assets. The United States is set to deploy two to three F-35 fifth-generation combat aircraft, while France will participate with Rafale fighters and the United Arab Emirates will deploy F-16 fighter jets. Several participating countries will also contribute support assets, including transport aircraft. The mega air exercise comes immediately after the bilateral Indo-Japan air combat exercise "Veer Guardian", which was also hosted at the Jodhpur airbase. The Indian Air Force will field its major frontline operational platforms for the drills, including Rafale and Sukhoi-30 fighter jets. Defence officials said IAF support platforms, including airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, transport planes and air-to-air refuelling tankers, will also take part in the exercise. Announcing the 2026 edition of the exercise, the Indian Air Force said in a post on X, "Exercise Tarang Shakti is back. Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 returns as Indias premier multinational air exercise, bringing global Air Forces together for high-octane joint tactical manoeuvres. Stay tuned as elite aviators take to the skies!" The inaugural edition of the multinational exercise "Tarang Shakti" was held in 2024. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had then termed the exercise an effort to strengthen cooperation, coordination and trust with partner countries. (ANI)
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