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India plans to host mega air drills Tarang Shakti, 12 air forces may attend
Tarang Shakti is in the planning stage and is expected to be conducted in October-November. Six air forces will take part in the exercise, while the rest will attend the aerial drills as observers
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force is preparing to host a mega exercise later this year that is expected to bring together 12 air forces, with the focus being on improving interoperability, imbibing best practices from one another and boosting military cooperation among the participating countries, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
The exercise, named Tarang Shakti, will be the biggest multi-nation air exercise to be conducted in the country and will involve fighter jets, military transport aircraft, mid-air refuellers and airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, HT has learnt.
Tarang Shakti is in the planning stage and is likely to be conducted in October-November, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named. Six air forces will participate in the exercise, while the rest will attend the aerial drills as observers, said a second official, who also asked not to be named. The air forces of the US, the UK, France and Australia are among those likely to take part in the exercise.
The IAF has emerged as a partner of choice for joint exercises for several air forces. This year, the IAF has participated in joint drills in France, Greece, Japan and the UK so far.
To be sure, while Tarang Shakti will be the biggest multilateral exercise to be conducted in India, the IAF has taken part in several such drills on foreign soil.
The IAF’s French-origin Rafale fighter jets debuted in an overseas exercise in April. Exercise Orion was held at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase in France from April 17 to May 5, and involved the air forces of the host nation, the US, the UK, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain. Four Indian Rafales, two C-17 heavy lifters, two ll-78 refuellers and 165 air warriors took part in the exercise.
In April-May, the IAF took part in the INIOCHOS exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force at the Andravida air base in Greece. The IAF took part in the exercise with four Su-30 MKI fighters and two C-17 heavy-lifters.
In April, the air forces of India and the US conducted Exercise Cope India 2023 across three bases in the country – Kalaikunda, Panagarh and Agra.
Two US B-1 supersonic heavy bombers also took part in Exercise Cope India 2023 for the first time.
The bilateral exercise involved four US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, two C-130J special operations aircraft, and a C-17 heavy-lifter. The IAF aircraft included Su-30s, Rafales, Jaguars, Tejas light combat aircraft, C-17s and C-130Js.
