IAF to host Tarang Shakti-26 in Jodhpur; seven foreign air forces to join
India will host Tarang Shakti-26 at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, 2026, with seven foreign air forces and the F-35 making its tactical debut in India.
The Indian Air Force will host the second edition of its multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti-26, at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, 2026. Seven foreign air forces are set to take part, drawn from the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
A range of advanced combat aircraft will fly in the exercise. The United States Air Force will deploy the F-35, France the Rafale, the UAE the F-16 and Bangladesh a C-130J. The IAF will field frontline platforms including the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI.
The appearance of the USAF F-35 is a notable first. Although the stealth fighter was present at Aero India 2025, its role in Tarang Shakti-26 will mark its first tactical participation in an exercise on Indian soil.
Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the IAF would exercise with the F-35 for the first time, while noting that specifics of the aircraft's operational employment would remain governed by security considerations.
He described the exercise as a step forward from earlier practice. For years, he said, operational engagement with foreign air forces was conducted largely through bilateral exercises, with the IAF learning to operate with one partner at a time. Tarang Shakti changed that approach, bringing multiple air forces together in 2024 for the first large multinational air exercise hosted by the IAF. The aim now is to build on that experience, he added, noting that invitations for this edition were sent to 65 friendly foreign countries.
The Vice Chief pointed to a rapidly changing world and an evolving character of warfare. Recent conflicts, he said, have underlined the importance of integrated air and missile defence, precision strikes, unmanned systems, information dominance and space-enabled capabilities. Operation Sindoor, he added, reinforced many of these realities, demonstrating the value of intelligence-led operations, counter-UAS measures and jointness across domains.
According to the IAF, the exercise is intended to strengthen interoperability among participating air forces, offer a platform for exchanging operational experience and showcase India's air combat capabilities. It also reflects the service's continuing shift from predominantly bilateral engagements towards complex multinational air operations involving several air forces at once.
On the LCA Mk1A, Air Marshal Dixit said the initial delay had been caused by engines. With engines now procured, the aircraft is undergoing a thorough testing process that is expected to be completed in a month or two. The IAF, he said, is eagerly awaiting the aircraft.