In Brief:
- The aerial drills take place from September 26 to October 12, 2026, across designated airspace in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Phalodi.
- US F-35 stealth fighters join Indian Air Force maneuvers alongside French Rafales, UAE F-16s, and domestic platforms including Tejas, Su-30MKI, and Mirage-2000.
- Eight nations supply active air assets for tactical combat operations, while 32 countries participate as observers.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) scheduled the multinational air exercise 'Tarang Shakti 2026' from September 26 to October 12 at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Designated as Asia's largest multilateral aerial combat exercise, the event brings together military personnel and air assets from eight participating nations—including the United States, France, Germany, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Greece—alongside observer delegations from 32 other countries. The Indian Ministry of Defence issued flight notices reserving military airspace up to 40,000 feet over Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Phalodi sectors for tactical maneuvers and simulated target drills at the Pokhran Field Firing Range.
The 2026 edition marks the first operational deployment of United States Air Force F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters in an IAF-hosted tactical exercise. Foreign air platforms, including French Rafales, UAE F-16s, and Bangladeshi C-130J transport aircraft, will execute joint combat scenarios alongside Indian assets such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Rafale, Tejas, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29. The operational scope covers air defense, close combat, airborne early warning coordination, and air-to-air refueling operations.
