NEW DELHI: Nearly 40 countries, 80 aircraft, including 30 foreign fighter jets and transport planes, 1,500 military personnel and one destination: Jodhpur air base. Indian Air Force’s second edition of the country’s biggest multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti took off in Rajasthan on Saturday with the airspace over the desert state set to witness over a thousand sorties by both Indian and foreign fighters over the next fortnight.Welcoming air force guests from around the world, IAF in a post on X on Saturday said, “A warm welcome to our friends from across the skies as they touch down at Jodhpur. Welcome to India. Welcome to Tarang Shakti.”Seven countries are participating directly with their advanced aircraft and fighter assets while 32 nations are attending as observers. The key aircraft attractions of Tarang Shakti, which will go on till Oct 12, are six US fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, F-35s, which for the first time are participating in the air exercise in India, seven French Rafales, UAE’s six F-16 jets, MRTTs, KC-135s and Australia’s C-130 aircraft, alongside IAF fighter jets like Sukhois, Tejas, Mirage-2000 and Indian Rafales.In a post on X on Saturday, US ambassador Sergio Gor said, “American airpower has arrived in Jodhpur! Six F-35 Lightning IIs and 200+ Airmen are now in India for their first-ever participation in Exercise Tarang Shakti. Excited to see America’s premier fifth-generation fighters make its Tarang Shakti debut, flying alongside the IAF MCC and partners.”The exercise will cover a wide spectrum of missions, including counter-air operations, air defence, close combat, airlift and air-to-air refuelling, along with more complex mission sets involving multiple aircraft and forces.Looking forward to France’s participation in Tarang Shakti, French ambassador Thierry Mathou said: “India is a core strategic defence partner of France. Regular participation in bilateral military exercises with India such as Varuna at sea, Garuda in the air and Shakti on land, as well as multinational exercises such as Tarang Shakti pave the way for greater Indo-French operational coordination and military interoperability. France’s involvement in this exercise illustrates our shared commitment to ensuring regional and global security and upholding international law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, in which France is a resident power.”
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