Forty Nations, One Indian Sky

What Is Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026?

Imagine looking up over Jodhpur and seeing aircraft from some of the world’s major air forces sharing the same sky.

American F-35s.

French Rafales.

UAE F-16s.

Indian Su-30MKIs, Rafales, Tejas, Mirage-2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s.

That is the scale of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026.

The second edition of the Indian Air Force’s major multinational air exercise is being held from 26 September to 12 October 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur and nearby operating bases.

Several foreign air forces are participating with aircraft, while many more nations are attending as observers.

That is how roughly 40 countries come together around one exercise.

But Tarang Shakti is not an air show.

The pilots and crews are training for the kind of missions modern air forces may actually have to perform together.

These include:

• air defence
• air-to-air combat
• reconnaissance
• airlift operations
• air-to-air refuelling
• large formation flying
• complex multinational missions

Why Do Different Air Forces Train Together?

Because every air force operates differently.

Their aircraft are different.

Their tactics are different.

Their radio procedures can be different.

Their planning methods may also be different.

Exercises like Tarang Shakti help them learn how to communicate, plan and operate together in a crowded and complex battlespace.

For India, this is especially valuable.

Indian aircrew get the chance to train alongside some of the world’s most advanced aircraft and study how other major air forces operate.

Foreign crews also get to fly alongside Indian aircraft and understand the capabilities of the Indian Air Force.

The official theme of Tarang Shakti 2026 is:

Power in Partnership

That is really what the exercise is about.

Not just flying together.

But learning how different countries can operate as one team.

Think of it as one of the world’s most complicated team sports.

Except the players may be travelling faster than sound.

Different aircraft.

Different countries.

Different languages.

One Indian sky.

And one big question being tested:

Can all of them learn to operate as one team?

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