Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 is being hosted by the Indian Air Force at Jodhpur from 26 September to 12 October. On 10 October, the Defence Ministry said seven foreign air forces — Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the United States — were participating, with 32 additional observer nations.
The exercise brings together fighter, transport and refuelling platforms and is intended to build familiarity across different doctrines, command systems and equipment. Its policy value lies in interoperability and defence diplomacy rather than in creating a formal alliance.
Multinational exercises can improve operational coordination, but they do not by themselves settle questions of joint command, treaty obligations or future basing. They are best understood as readiness and partnership mechanisms.
For civil-services preparation, Tarang Shakti connects India’s strategic partnerships, air-power modernisation and defence diplomacy. The key distinction is between practical interoperability and formal collective-security commitments.
