The second edition of Tarang Shakti will be held from 26 September to 12 October 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur and adjoining air bases. Eight foreign countries: Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the United States, are expected to participate with air assets, while 32 countries will attend as observers.

The exercise is being hosted by the Indian Air Force, with the aim of exposing participating forces to the planning and execution of multinational combat operations in a realistic contemporary battlespace. The exercise will include counter-air operations, air defence, combat, reconnaissance, airlift and air-to-air refuelling, among other complex missions.

The US Air Force F-35 will participate in an Indian multinational air exercise for the first time. French Rafales, UAE F-16s and a Bangladeshi C-130J are also expected, while the IAF will field aircraft including the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI. However the exercise is designed to be more than simply a show of advanced aircraft.

Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the exercise is designed to move the IAF beyond the predominantly bilateral model of the past towards complex multinational operations. Forces will plan missions, operate together and then assess their performance through debriefs  allowing them to compare tactics, procedures, communications and operational approaches.

The first Tarang Shakti, held in 2024, brought multiple foreign air forces together. The 2026 edition is intended to build on that experience and deepen interoperability between participating forces.

The exercise also comes as air warfare is changing rapidly. Dixit highlighted precision strikes, integrated air and missile defence, unmanned systems, information dominance and space-enabled capabilities as increasingly important elements of modern combat.

Operation Sindoor, he said, had reinforced the importance of intelligence-led operations, counter-UAS capabilities and jointness across domains. Tarang Shakti therefore provides the IAF with an opportunity to test assumptions, exchange operational experience and learn from other air forces.

The exercise will also be a demonstration of India’s progress in its pursuit of aerospace ambitions. Alongside its foreign partners, India is seeking to develop indigenous fighters, sensors, weapons and unmanned systems while building capabilities such as the AMCA and strengthening its response to fifth-generation aircraft.

For the IAF, therefore, Tarang Shakti is both a multinational exercise and a test of something larger: how different air forces can plan, fight and learn together in the increasingly complex battlespace of modern warfare.

Deepak Bhadana

Over the past decade, Deepak Bhadana has built expertise in multimedia storytelling, with a focus on military conflicts, insurgencies, international relations, the defence industry, and occasionally, wildlife and environmental issues.