The Indian Air Force is set to operate alongside US F-35A stealth fighters for the first time during Tarang Shakti 2026. The fifth-generation aircraft will participate alongside French Rafales, UAE F-16s and a broad selection of Indian aircraft at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from September 26 to October 12. The IAF has invited 65 friendly foreign nations, with seven countries confirming participation with air assets and 32 others joining as observers. The US contingent will include six F-35A Lightning II fighters and two KC-135 Stratotankers. France will deploy seven Rafales, three A400M Atlas transports and two Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft. The UAE will send six F-16s and a Bombardier Global 6000 surveillance aircraft. Australia will contribute a C-130 Hercules, Germany two A400Ms, Bangladesh a C-130J Super Hercules and Sri Lanka a King Air 350. Observer countries include Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Nepal, Oman, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the invitation structure was based on the exercise’s specific objectives and interoperability requirements. He explained that Russia, China, Israel and Saudi Arabia were not invited because India already conducts separate bilateral exercises with those countries. Indian aircraft participating in the exercise will include Rafale, Su-30MKI, LCA Tejas, Jaguar, MiG-29, Mi-35, Mi-17, airborne warning and control systems, transport aircraft and air-to-air refuelling platforms. The participating forces will be divided into REDFOR and BLUEFOR, with both sides conducting common briefings, separate planning, tactical sorties and joint mission debriefs. Training will cover within-visual-range and beyond-visual-range combat, large-force operations, protection of high-value airborne assets, dynamic targeting, air mobility, combat search and rescue and air-to-air and air-to-ground refuelling. Lessons from Operation Sindoor in May 2025 will also be incorporated, including intelligence-led precision strikes, multi-domain integration, long-range surface-to-air missile engagements and counter-UAS tactics. The IAF has stated that the exercise is intended to identify operational gaps and test tactics rather than simply demonstrate existing capabilities. Tarang Shakti’s inaugural 2024 edition involved 11 foreign nations, 45 combat aircraft, 76 missions, 867 sorties and more than 1,180 flying hours.
