✈️Tarang Shakti 2026: US F-35s, Rafales & F-16s Join IAF in Jodhpur
Tarang Shakti 2026 Turns Jodhpur Into a Hub of Global Air Power
The skies over Jodhpur, Rajasthan, have become the stage for one of India's most significant multinational air exercises as the Indian Air Force (IAF) hosts the operational phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026.
What makes this edition particularly noteworthy is not simply its scale, but the range of aircraft, air forces and operational capabilities coming together.
According to information released around the exercise, 41 nations are involved in the broader event, with 32 countries represented through military delegations and observers.
Among the participating forces are major international air powers operating aircraft ranging from Rafale and F-16 fighters to aerial refuelling tankers and strategic transport aircraft.
But one aircraft has inevitably attracted exceptional attention:
The US Air Force F-35A Lightning II.
The arrival of US Air Force F-35A stealth fighters at Jodhpur represents a major milestone, bringing one of the world's most advanced fifth-generation combat aircraft into a multinational exercise on Indian soil.
And it is sharing the exercise environment with aircraft including India's LCA Tejas, Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale.
F-35A Lightning II Makes a Landmark Appearance in India
One of the biggest stories emerging from Tarang Shakti 2026 is the operational participation of the US Air Force's F-35A Lightning II.
The deployment has been described as the first participation of US F-35s in a joint military exercise conducted on Indian soil.
According to reports, the American contingent includes:
✈️ Six F-35A Lightning II fighters
👨✈️ More than 200 US Airmen
⛽ KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft
🛩️ Aircraft from the 13th Fighter Squadron based at Misawa Air Base, Japan
This is considerably more significant than a static aircraft appearance.
The F-35As are participating in flying activities alongside Indian and foreign aircraft, creating opportunities for participating forces to understand how very different aircraft types, support systems and operational procedures can function within a multinational environment.
When Is Tarang Shakti 2026 Taking Place?
The operational phase at Air Force Station Jodhpur began on:
📅 September 26, 2026
and is scheduled to continue through:
📅 October 12, 2026
During this period, participating forces are conducting multinational flying activities designed to improve coordination, operational familiarity and interoperability.
The exercise brings together combat aviation, aerial refuelling, tactical transport, strategic airlift and ground-support capabilities.
That makes Tarang Shakti much more than a gathering of fighter aircraft.
It is effectively an opportunity to test how multinational air forces can plan, support and execute complex air operations together.
Seven Foreign Air Forces Flying Alongside the IAF
The international participation in Tarang Shakti 2026 includes a fascinating mix of combat, tanker and transport aircraft.
Here's a closer look at the participating foreign forces and what their platforms bring to the exercise.
1. French Air and Space Force — Rafale & A330 MRTT
France brings one of the most recognizable fighter aircraft in the exercise:
✈️ Dassault Rafale
The French Rafale is particularly interesting in the Indian context because the IAF itself operates the Rafale.
This creates opportunities for the two air forces to exchange operational knowledge around a platform both forces understand well while integrating it into a much larger multinational scenario.
France is also supporting the exercise with the:
⛽ Airbus A330 MRTT
The Multi-Role Tanker Transport provides aerial refuelling capability that can significantly extend the endurance and operational reach of combat aircraft.
Aerial refuelling becomes especially important during large exercises because fighter aircraft can remain airborne longer and participate in missions covering significantly greater distances.
The French contingent therefore contributes both combat power and airborne refuelling capability.
2. UAE Air Force — F-16 Fighting Falcons
The United Arab Emirates Air Force is participating with:
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 remains one of the world's most widely operated multirole combat aircraft.
At Tarang Shakti, UAE F-16s are participating in multinational scenarios involving aircraft from different design philosophies and generations.
Imagine the diversity involved in coordinating missions featuring aircraft such as:
🇺🇸 F-35A Lightning II
🇦🇪 F-16 Fighting Falcon
🇫🇷 Rafale
🇮🇳 LCA Tejas
🇮🇳 Sukhoi Su-30MKI
🇮🇳 Rafale
That mix is one reason Tarang Shakti 2026 provides an interesting interoperability environment.
Pilots and mission planners must coordinate aircraft with different sensor capabilities, performance characteristics, operating procedures and mission roles.
3. Royal Australian Air Force — KC-30A MRTT
Australia's contribution highlights another capability essential to modern air operations:
⛽ Air-to-Air Refuelling
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has deployed KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft.
Tankers may not receive the same public attention as fighter aircraft, but they are critical force multipliers.
Without aerial refuelling, combat aircraft are constrained by their internal fuel capacity and mission profile.
With tanker support, fighters can:
✈️ Remain airborne longer
🌍 Operate over greater distances
⛽ Refuel without landing
⚔️ Sustain complex missions
🤝 Operate as part of larger multinational formations
Australian KC-30As conducting refuelling sorties therefore contribute directly to the exercise's multinational integration objectives.
4. German Air Force — Airbus A400M Atlas
Germany's contribution demonstrates the logistics side of modern air power.
The Luftwaffe is participating with the:
🛫 Airbus A400M Atlas
The A400M is a modern military transport aircraft designed to combine strategic range with tactical flexibility.
Its presence highlights capabilities including:
📦 Strategic airlift
🪖 Personnel transportation
🚚 Military logistics
⚡ Rapid force deployment
🤝 Multinational logistics coordination
Modern military aviation depends heavily on logistics.
Fighters cannot sustain high-tempo operations without spare parts, maintenance equipment, personnel, fuel and other support infrastructure.
Aircraft such as the A400M therefore form an essential part of the wider air-power ecosystem.
5. Bangladesh Air Force — C-130J Super Hercules
The Bangladesh Air Force is participating with the:
🛩️ Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules
The C-130 family is among the world's best-known tactical transport aircraft.
Its roles can include:
📦 Cargo transport
🪖 Troop movement
🛬 Tactical airlift
🚑 Humanitarian assistance
🌪️ Disaster-response missions
⚡ Rapid logistics deployment
At Tarang Shakti 2026, the Bangladesh contingent contributes to multinational airlift and tactical transport activities under a complex operational environment.
6. Sri Lanka Air Force — Transport & Operational Support
The Sri Lanka Air Force adds another important regional dimension to the exercise.
Its participation focuses on transport and operational support, with reported C-130 transport involvement and support personnel.
Areas of cooperation can include:
🛫 Regional transport logistics
🌊 Maritime-related cooperation
🚨 Humanitarian assistance
🌪️ Disaster relief
🤝 Operational best-practice exchanges
For South Asian nations, these capabilities have importance beyond conventional military operations.
Natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and regional crises frequently require rapid movement of personnel, equipment and relief supplies.
Multinational exercises can therefore strengthen coordination useful for both security operations and humanitarian response.
7. United States Air Force — F-35A & KC-135
The United States contingent combines two very different but complementary aircraft:
⚔️ F-35A Lightning II
and
⛽ KC-135 Stratotanker
The F-35 represents advanced combat aviation, while the KC-135 provides the aerial refuelling support required to extend the operational reach of combat aircraft.
Together, they demonstrate a fundamental concept in modern air warfare:
A fighter aircraft's effectiveness depends not only on the fighter itself, but on the entire support ecosystem surrounding it.
That includes tankers, logistics, maintenance crews, command-and-control systems, intelligence and ground support.
Why Is the F-35's Participation So Important?
The F-35A is not simply another fighter aircraft arriving in Rajasthan.
Its participation is strategically and technologically noteworthy because it introduces a fifth-generation combat aircraft into the exercise environment.
What Makes a Fifth-Generation Fighter Different?
Fifth-generation fighters such as the F-35 are generally associated with capabilities including:
🔹 Low-observable or stealth-oriented design
🔹 Advanced sensors
🔹 Sensor fusion
🔹 Network-centric operations
🔹 Advanced electronic warfare capabilities
🔹 High levels of situational awareness
🔹 Secure sharing of battlefield information
The philosophy is therefore not simply about flying faster or carrying more weapons.
Modern fifth-generation air warfare increasingly revolves around information.
The aircraft gathers information from multiple sensors, processes that data and helps create a more integrated picture of the battlespace.
F-35 Meets Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale
Another striking feature of Tarang Shakti 2026 is the diversity of aircraft operating within the same exercise environment.
The IAF's participating fleet includes platforms such as:
LCA Tejas
India's indigenous lightweight multirole fighter represents the country's growing domestic aerospace capabilities.
Sukhoi Su-30MKI
The heavyweight Su-30MKI remains one of the most important combat platforms in the IAF inventory, offering long range, high manoeuvrability and significant weapons-carrying capability.
Rafale
The Rafale provides the IAF with an advanced multirole combat capability and brings another modern Western-origin fighter into the exercise mix.
Now add:
F-35, F-16, Rafale
and Tarang Shakti becomes an unusually diverse multinational aviation environment.
It's Not Just Pilots — Ground Crews Matter Too
One of the less visible but important aspects of multinational exercises happens on the ground.
Reports surrounding the American deployment have highlighted interactions between US maintenance personnel and Indian counterparts at Jodhpur.
Why does this matter?
Because modern combat aviation depends heavily on sortie generation.
An aircraft may be technologically advanced, but operational effectiveness depends on how efficiently teams can:
🔧 Inspect aircraft
⚙️ Conduct maintenance
⛽ Refuel platforms
📋 Prepare missions
🔄 Turn aircraft around between sorties
🚨 Diagnose technical problems
✈️ Return aircraft to operational status
Interactions between ground teams can therefore provide valuable insight into different operational and maintenance practices.
What Could India Learn From Operating Around the F-35?
For India, exposure to a fifth-generation aircraft during a multinational exercise can offer useful operational lessons.
This should not be confused with access to the F-35's classified technologies or sensitive systems.
Instead, participating alongside fifth-generation aircraft can help build broader familiarity with how advanced platforms fit into modern air operations.
Potential lessons can involve:
🔹 Mission Planning
Understanding how different generations of aircraft can be incorporated into complex multinational missions.
🔹 Network-Centric Warfare
Observing the operational importance of information sharing, connectivity and situational awareness.
🔹 Ground Operations
Learning how highly advanced aircraft are supported during demanding exercise schedules.
🔹 Interoperability
Understanding how platforms built by different manufacturers and operated by different countries can coordinate effectively.
Tarang Shakti 2026 and India's AMCA Ambitions
The timing is particularly interesting because India is pursuing its own fifth-generation fighter programme:
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft — AMCA
India's AMCA programme is intended to develop an indigenous next-generation combat aircraft incorporating technologies associated with advanced low-observable warfare.
That makes exposure to fifth-generation operational concepts especially interesting for the IAF.
However, it is important to make a distinction:
Participating in an exercise with the F-35 does not mean India gains access to classified F-35 technology.
The value lies more broadly in operational exposure—seeing how fifth-generation platforms participate in multinational missions, how their support ecosystem functions and how modern combat aviation integrates aircraft, sensors, networks and supporting assets.
Why Tarang Shakti Matters Beyond the Aircraft
It would be easy to view Tarang Shakti simply as a spectacular gathering of military aircraft.
Its broader purpose is much more important.
Multinational air exercises are designed to improve interoperability.
In simple terms, interoperability means ensuring that military forces from different countries can communicate, coordinate and operate effectively together when required.
Different air forces may use:
Different aircraft
Different operating procedures
Different communication systems
Different tactical doctrines
Different maintenance processes
Different command structures
Exercises provide an environment where these differences can be understood and managed.
Fighter Jets Are Only Part of the Story
The aircraft lineup also demonstrates an important lesson about modern air power.
A capable air force needs far more than fighter jets.
Tarang Shakti brings together several interconnected capabilities:
Combat Aviation
F-35A, Rafale, F-16, Tejas and Su-30MKI.
Aerial Refuelling
KC-135, A330 MRTT and KC-30A.
Strategic & Tactical Airlift
A400M and C-130-family aircraft.
Ground Support
Maintenance teams, logistics specialists and operational personnel.
Mission Coordination
Planning, communication, command-and-control and multinational procedures.
Together, these capabilities form the larger ecosystem necessary to conduct sustained modern air operations.
41 Nations: A Major International Gathering
The broader scale of Tarang Shakti 2026 is itself significant.
With 41 nations involved and 32 countries reportedly sending military delegations as observers, the exercise also functions as a platform for military engagement and professional exchange.
Observer participation matters because a country does not necessarily need to deploy fighter aircraft to learn from a multinational exercise.
Military delegations can study operational concepts, observe procedures, interact with partner forces and identify potential areas for future cooperation.
Why Tarang Shakti 2026 Matters for India
For India, hosting an exercise of this scale carries several benefits.
1. Stronger Defence Partnerships
Regular exercises allow military personnel to build familiarity and professional relationships with international counterparts.
2. Better Interoperability
The IAF gains opportunities to operate in an environment involving aircraft and procedures from multiple nations.
3. Operational Learning
Exercises allow participating forces to compare tactics, logistics processes, mission planning and support practices.
4. Showcasing Indian Platforms
Aircraft such as the LCA Tejas get the opportunity to operate in a multinational environment alongside globally recognized combat platforms.
5. India's Role as an Exercise Host
Hosting dozens of international participants demonstrates India's ability to organize and support complex multinational military aviation activities.
Tarang Shakti 2026 at a Glance
Detail | Information |
🇮🇳 Host | Indian Air Force |
📍 Operational Location | Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan |
📅 Operational Phase | September 26 – October 12, 2026 |
🌍 Overall International Involvement | 41 nations |
👀 Observer/Delegation Representation | 32 countries |
🇺🇸 Major US Aircraft | F-35A Lightning II |
✈️ Reported F-35 Deployment | Six aircraft |
👨✈️ US Personnel | More than 200 Airmen |
⛽ US Support | KC-135 Stratotanker |
🇫🇷 France | Rafale, A330 MRTT |
🇦🇪 UAE | F-16 Fighting Falcon |
🇦🇺 Australia | KC-30A MRTT |
🇩🇪 Germany | A400M Atlas |
🇧🇩 Bangladesh | C-130J Super Hercules |
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Transport/operational support |
🇮🇳 Key IAF Fighters | Tejas, Su-30MKI, Rafale |
More Than an Air Show
Tarang Shakti 2026 is not simply about seeing some of the world's most recognizable military aircraft flying over Rajasthan.
Its deeper importance lies in what happens behind those dramatic formations.
Fighters must communicate.
Tankers must coordinate refuelling.
Transport aircraft must support logistics.
Ground crews must maintain demanding sortie schedules.
Mission planners must bring aircraft with very different capabilities into a common operational framework.
And personnel from different countries must learn how to work together.
The arrival of the US Air Force F-35A Lightning II has understandably become one of the defining images of Tarang Shakti 2026. Yet the larger story is the multinational ecosystem surrounding it—from French Rafales and UAE F-16s to Australian tankers, German airlifters and South Asian transport contingents.
For the Indian Air Force, the exercise offers valuable exposure to diverse aircraft, operational philosophies and multinational coordination at a time when India is simultaneously strengthening its existing combat fleet and pursuing ambitious indigenous programmes such as the AMCA.
From the Tejas and Su-30MKI to Rafale, F-16 and F-35A, Tarang Shakti 2026 offers a rare picture of multiple generations and philosophies of air power operating in the same exercise environment.
And that is what makes the skies over Jodhpur particularly significant in 2026.
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