Six US F-35 Jets Land in India for Tarang Shakti Debut
Six US F-35 Lightning II jets and over 200 airmen have reached India for their first appearance at Exercise Tarang Shakti, the IAF-hosted drill in Jodhpur.
Six United States F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, accompanied by more than 200 airmen, have reached India ahead of their first appearance at Exercise Tarang Shakti, the multinational air drill hosted by the Indian Air Force.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed the arrival in a post on X on Saturday, describing the deployment as the debut of America's premier fifth-generation fighters at the exercise. He said the aircraft would fly alongside the Indian Air Force and other partners, and shared photographs of the stealth jets.
The second edition of Tarang Shakti is scheduled to be held at Jodhpur Air Force Station from September 26 to October 12. Seven foreign countries are taking part: the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
India is set to field a range of its own platforms during the drill, including the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI. According to the Indian Air Force, the exercise is intended to display the country's defence capabilities and to serve as a platform for building interoperability among participating air forces.