Tarang Shakti 2026: F-35 stealth fighters to join IAF in tactical drills for first time

New Delhi, Sep 22. US F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters are set to participate in tactical combat drills with the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the first time during the second edition of the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, marking a significant step in India-US air combat cooperation.

The exercise will be held at the Jodhpur Air Force Station in Rajasthan from September 26 to October 12 and will bring together air forces from more than 40 countries, making it one of the largest multinational air exercises hosted by the IAF.

Seven friendly foreign countries (FFCs) will participate with air assets while 32 nations will be attending as observers.

The seven FFCs participating in the exercise are: Australia (with one C-130), Bangladesh (one C-130J), France (seven Rafales, three A400Ms and two MRTTs), Germany (two A400Ms), Sri Lanka (one King Air 350), the UAE (six F-16s and one Global 6000), and the US (six F-35s and two KC 135s).

For the IAF, the exercise will feature key frontline platforms, including Rafale and Su-30MKI fighters. Its participation will also include force multipliers such as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, transport aircraft and air-to-air refuelling tankers.

IAF Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit confirmed the F-35s’ participation, while indicating that details of its operational employment would remain subject to security considerations.

“For the first time, we are going to exercise with the F-35. It is coming. It has come to India earlier. It was part of Aero India, and then it got stuck in Trivandrum,” Dixit said while addressing the media here on September 22. “Now we will exercise with it, and we will be able to talk more about it maybe after the exercise, or we may not like to talk about it. There is a slight operational security issue here.”

The F-35 had earlier visited India as part of Aero India, but its participation in an operational exercise with the IAF will provide an opportunity for Indian and US air crews to train together in a more demanding tactical environment.

Dixit said Tarang Shakti reflects the IAF’s effort to move beyond conventional bilateral exercises towards increasingly complex multinational air operations.

“For many years, operational engagement with foreign air forces was largely conducted through bilateral exercises. We learned to operate with one partner at a time. Tarang Shakti changed that approach,” he said.

The first edition of Tarang Shakti in 2024 brought multiple foreign air forces together for a large-scale exercise hosted by the IAF. The 2026 edition is intended to build on that experience and further develop the ability of participating forces to operate together in a multinational environment.

The Vice Chief also underlined the changing nature of warfare and the growing importance of integrated air and missile defence, precision strike capabilities, unmanned systems, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), information dominance and space-enabled intelligence.

“The world around us, as you know, is changing very rapidly. The character of warfare is evolving. Recent conflicts have demonstrated the importance of precision, integrated defence, unmanned systems, information dominance, space-enabled capabilities, and the ability to bring all of this together in a multi-domain operation,” he said.

Referring to India’s recent military experience, Dixit said Operation Sindoor had further highlighted the importance of intelligence-driven operations, precision engagement, integrated air and missile defence, counter-UAS capabilities and joint operations across domains.

As many as 65 friendly countries have been invited to Tarang Shakti 2026, with more than 40 expected to participate. The participating air forces will bring a mix of fighter aircraft and support platforms, providing an opportunity for the services to train across a broad spectrum of air operations.

Tarang Shakti 2026 will begin shortly after the conclusion of the bilateral India-Japan air combat exercise Veer Guardian 2026, which was also hosted at Jodhpur. The back-to-back exercises will provide the IAF with an extended period of high-end air operations involving multiple foreign air forces and diverse combat platforms.