Six US F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jets and more than 200 US Air Force personnel have arrived at Jodhpur for their first participation in Exercise Tarang Shakti, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed.
The deployment marks the debut of the US Air Force’s advanced stealth fighter in a major multinational exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force. During the exercise, the F-35s will operate alongside Indian and foreign partner aircraft.
Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, the second edition of the Indian Air Force’s largest multinational air exercise, is being conducted from 26 September to 12 October at Air Force Station Jodhpur and other participating air bases.
Eight foreign countries — Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the United States — are participating with air assets, while 32 additional nations are attending as observers.
The US contingent’s six F-35s will operate alongside French Rafale fighters, UAE F-16s and a Bangladeshi C-130J. The Indian Air Force is participating with a broad range of platforms, including Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 fighters, supported by AEW&C aircraft, transport platforms and air-to-air refuelling tankers.
Advanced Air Combat Training
The exercise includes a range of operational scenarios, including beyond-visual-range and within-visual-range air combat, dynamic targeting, air mobility missions, aerial refuelling and combat search-and-rescue operations.
These activities provide participating air forces with opportunities to practise joint operations, improve interoperability and gain experience in operating alongside different aircraft and advanced combat systems.
For the Indian Air Force, Tarang Shakti 2026 marks its first exercise involving the F-35, providing an opportunity for Indian crews to operate alongside a fifth-generation stealth fighter and gain greater exposure to associated operational concepts.
The F-35 deployment adds another advanced combat platform to the multinational exercise and further expands the scope of air operations being conducted from Jodhpur.
