India's military interoperability deepens with Tarang Shakti, Yudh Abhyas exercises
Synopsis
US F-35 jets flew over Indian skies for the first time during Exercise Tarang Shakti, while Indian and American troops fired HIMARS and Pinaka rockets together at Yudh Abhyas — and India used both exercises to brief partners on Operation Sindoor's lessons. The breadth of these engagements, stretching from Russia's Vladivostok to Rajasthan's firing ranges, is the clearest signal yet of how far India's military diplomacy has stretched simultaneously across rival geopolitical blocs.
Key Takeaways
Exercise Tarang Shakti was hosted by the IAF from 26 September to 12 October 2026 at Jodhpur , involving 7 Friendly Foreign Countries and 32 observer nations .
US F-35A Lightning II jets flew over Indian skies for the first time , alongside IAF platforms including the Rafale , Su-30MKI , and LCA Tejas .
The exercise logged more than 800 sorties and 600 hours of flying.
Exercise Yudh Abhyas ( 15–27 September ) saw 600 troops each from India and the US train at Auli, Uttarakhand and fire HIMARS and Pinaka systems at Mahajan Range, Rajasthan .
India briefed foreign participants on operational lessons from Operation Sindoor of May 2025 .
The India-Russia Indra naval exercise is ongoing from 13–18 October in Vladivostok , rounding out India's simultaneous engagement across rival geopolitical blocs.
India's expanding military-to-military engagements, highlighted by the recently concluded Exercise Tarang Shakti and Exercise Yudh Abhyas, reflect a deliberate deepening of interoperability with key partner nations and underscore the country's multi-vector foreign policy, according to a report by The Diplomat. The exercises also provided an opportunity to share operational lessons from Operation Sindoor of May 2025, which has generated significant insights for military planners worldwide.
Tarang Shakti: A First for US F-35s Over Indian Skies
Hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 26 September to 12 October at Jodhpur Air Force Station, near India's western borders, the multinational Tarang Shakti air exercise brought together air forces from seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) — Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States — alongside 32 observer nations.
The exercise logged more than 800 sorties and 600 hours flown, according to a post-exercise data brief cited by an IAF official. Notably, US F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation jets flew over Indian skies for the first time, operating alongside the full spectrum of IAF platforms — the LCA Tejas, Rafale, Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, and Jaguar — as well as the UAE's F-16s and support aircraft including A-400M, C-130J tankers, and G-6000 platforms.
'The real metric of an exercise's utility is not what the host nation deploys but what partner nations bring in, reflective of the value they see from it,' defence analyst Dinakar Peri wrote in The Diplomat. An American fifth-generation fighter flying alongside a Russian-origin jet, he noted, bears direct testimony to India's multi-pronged foreign and defence policy.
US and French Deployments Signal Strategic Trust
The US Pacific Air Forces deployed six F-35A Lightning IIs, one KC-135R Stratotanker, and more than 200 personnel. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor remarked that their F-35s 'do not go all over the world' and described their presence at Tarang Shakti as 'another example of trust' between the two countries.
France fielded four Rafales, three A330 Phoenix aerial refuellers, two A400M transport aircraft, and 300 personnel as part of its larger Pegase26 mission, which departed on 8 September and covered more than 40,000 miles across nine destinations over 40 days, traversing the Arctic, Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa. This showcased France's capacity for long-range deployment and operational sustenance.
What Rajnath Singh Said
Congratulating the IAF and all organisations involved, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the value of the exercise extended beyond sorties flown to encompass the ability to 'communicate, coordinate and operate effectively with partner forces.' He stressed the importance of self-reliance in defence, technological innovation, and international partnerships in addressing modern warfare challenges.
'Future military power will be defined less by the number of platforms we possess. It will be determined by the speed of sensing, understanding, deciding, and acting,' Singh said. He added that India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had adopted 'Atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence as a national policy.
Yudh Abhyas and the India-Russia Indra Exercise
The India-US bilateral Army exercise Yudh Abhyas, conducted from 15 to 27 September, saw 600 personnel from each side train at the high-altitude terrain of Auli in Uttarakhand, followed by long-range firepower drills — including the US HIMARS, Indian Pinaka rocket systems, and counter-drone systems — at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.
Separately, the Indian and Russian Navies are holding their annual Indra exercise from 13 to 18 October in Vladivostok, Russia. Taken together, these engagements reflect a packed calendar of military diplomacy that spans the US, Europe, Russia, and India's broader neighbourhood — a balancing act that few nations attempt at this scale.
Point of View
Subtly repositioning itself as a credible operational partner rather than merely a market for hardware. The real test is whether this breadth of engagement translates into tangible technology-transfer wins — particularly in areas like F-35 MRO access or co-development — or whether it remains symbolically rich but structurally shallow.
NationPress
17 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026?
Exercise Tarang Shakti was a multinational air exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force at Jodhpur Air Force Station from 26 September to 12 October 2026. It brought together air forces from seven countries — Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the UAE, and the US — along with 32 observer nations, logging over 800 sorties and 600 hours of flying.
Why is the US F-35's participation in Tarang Shakti significant?
US F-35A Lightning II jets flew over Indian skies for the first time during Tarang Shakti, operating alongside the full range of IAF fighters including the Su-30MKI, Rafale, and LCA Tejas. US Ambassador Sergio Gor described the deployment as 'another example of trust' between India and the United States, underscoring the strategic depth of the bilateral relationship.
What is Exercise Yudh Abhyas and what happened in 2026?
Yudh Abhyas is the annual India-US bilateral Army exercise. In 2026 it ran from 15 to 27 September, with 600 troops from each side training at high-altitude Auli in Uttarakhand and conducting live-fire drills — including US HIMARS and Indian Pinaka rocket systems — at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.
What role did Operation Sindoor play in these exercises?
India used Exercise Tarang Shakti as an opportunity to brief visiting foreign air forces on the operational outcomes of Operation Sindoor, conducted in May 2025. The briefings are reported to have generated significant lessons for military planners among partner nations.
How do these exercises reflect India's foreign policy?
The exercises illustrate India's multi-vector foreign policy: within the same fortnight, India hosted US F-35s at Tarang Shakti, conducted joint firepower drills with American troops at Yudh Abhyas, and held the annual Indra naval exercise with Russia in Vladivostok. This simultaneous engagement across rival geopolitical blocs reflects India's doctrine of strategic autonomy.
