“The defense relationships of the future will be about technology and trust, not just about platforms,” India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said at an event and demonstration in Jodhpur on October 10 as the multilateral Exercise Tarang Shakti neared its end. A fly-past after that featured an arrow-shaped formation that included the Indian Air Force Su-30MKI (Russian origin) at the center, flanked on one side by a U.S. F-35 and an Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), and on the other side by a French Rafale and an F-16 of the United Arab Emirates Air Force. This was an impressive formation; the technology and firepower they represented cannot be easily beaten.
An American fifth-generation fighter flying alongside a Russian-origin jet bears testimony to India’s multi-pronged foreign policy and military engagements.
Beyond Tarang Shakti, some bilateral exercises have culminated while others are lined up, showcasing the busy calendar of India’s military diplomacy and military-to-military engagements. For instance, at Vladivostok in Russia, the Indian and Russian Navies are holding their annual Indra exercise from October 13 to 18.
Together, these reflect two trends: one is the Indian military’s deepening interoperability across land, sea and air with key partner nations and like-minded countries, and the other is India’s multi-vectored foreign policy in line with its much-espoused strategic autonomy.
Thunder in the Skies
A biennial exercise, Tarang Shakti is now in its second edition. It was themed “Power in Partnership” and was held at Jodhpur near India’s western borders. It commenced on September 26 and ended on October 12. It brought together the Indian Air Force (IAF) and seven other countries – Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the UAE, and the U.S. – who deployed their aerial assets. Thirty-two other nations participated as observers.
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. The U.S. fifth-generation F-35 jets exercised over Indian skies for the first time, operating alongside the entire gamut of IAF fighters – the LCA, Rafale, SU-30MKI, Mirage 2000s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, French Rafales and the UAE’s F-16s. These were completed by A-400M and C-130/ C-130J transport aircraft, aerial refueling tankers, G-6000 and other support platforms. An IAF official, citing a post-exercise data brief, told The Diplomat that Tarang Shakti saw more than 800 sorties and 600 hours flown.
The U.S. Pacific Air Forces deployed six F-35A Lightning IIs and one KC-135R Stratotanker along with over 200 personnel. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, U.S. Ambassador in India Sergio Gor remarked that their F-35s do not go all over the world and termed their presence at Tarang Shakti as “another example of trust” between the two countries. France, a resident Indian Ocean power, fielded four Rafales, three A330 Phoenix aerial refuellers, two A400M transport aircraft and 300 personnel. This was part of its larger Pegase26 mission that set out on September 8, traveling across the Arctic, Indo-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa. Over 40 days across nine destinations and covering over 40,000 miles, the mission demonstrates its capacity for long-range deployment, sustenance and adaptability.
Exercises typically involve subject matter exchanges, and India, as the host nation, utilized this to brief visitors on the outcomes of Operation Sindoor of May 2025, which has generated significant operational lessons for military planners. Encapsulating this, Exercise Director Air Vice Marshal Raj Thakur noted that Operation Sindoor was one of the remarkable operations carried out by India, and there was a lot of interest in knowing about it. “And that’s why in one of the subject matter expert exchanges, we briefed them about what exactly has happened in Operation Sindoor and our part of the story, and that was very well received,” Thakur said.
Back-to-back Engagements
India has had a very busy diplo-military calendar in recent years. These were quite often simultaneous engagements with nations that are warring or adversaries. To appreciate the busy calendar and the diversity of engagements by the Indian military, it is worth looking at some of the notable engagements since July.
The India-U.S. bilateral Army exercise Yudh Abhyas was conducted from September 15 to 27. It saw 600 personnel from each side exercise at a high-altitude area at Auli in Uttarakhand, followed by long-range firepower drills, including U.S. HIMARS, Indian Pinaka rocket systems, and counter-drone systems in action, at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. Yudh Abhyas began in 2004 as a platoon-level exercise focused on peacekeeping operations and has since significantly expanded in scope and complexity. This is the case with all other India-U.S. military exercises: Cope India, the bilateral air exercise, or Exercise Malabar, which began as a bilateral naval exercise, have now become quadrilateral exercises featuring submarines and aircraft carriers practicing highly complex scenarios.
In addition to Yudh Abhyas, the Indian Army held bilateral wargames with Thailand (Maitree-XV), Mongolia (Nomadic Elephant), Kazakhstan (KAZIND) and UAE (Mountain Guardian), whether incoming or outgoing, with the last one set to conclude on October 18.
The Indian Navy has been the busiest with at least eight engagements. In addition to Indra, a trilateral exercise between India, Brazil and South Africa (Exercise IBSAMAR) is currently underway off South Africa. The Quad grouping, which includes India, Australia, Japan and the U.S., conducted a Tabletop Exercise on September 3 and 4 hosted by Japan to advance the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network. In end-September, Quad Coast Guards carried out the second joint sail under the QUAD‑at‑Sea Ship Observer Mission. Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaunak sailed from Chennai on September 25 for Perth in Australia with six sea riders—two officers each from India and Japan, and one officer each from Australia and the U.S. embarked.
On October 8, the Indian Coast Guard conducted the 12th national Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2026) off the coast of Odisha, which in addition to all Indian stakeholders, had 32 observers from 30 countries. It underscores the extent of deepening engagement, especially in the maritime domain, which has implications far and wide.
The IAF held two bilateral exercises with Japan (Veer Guardian) and Malaysia (Udara Shakti). More importantly, it joined the multilateral exercise Pitch Black hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force from July 7 to August 7.
Operationalizing Interoperability
The oft-repeated “interoperability” is more than just flying together in a fly past. It is extremely complex, necessitating understanding tactics, techniques, procedures, and cultural practices to seamlessly integrate the diverse range of equipment while also preserving one’s sensitive operational aspects. For instance, while the U.S. F-35s took part in war games, they were kept away from any prying eyes, even of the participating nations, highlighting the sensitivity of its most advanced technology. This prompted Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh to take a friendly jibe at Gen. Kevin Schneider, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander. At a press conference on October 10, the IAF chief pointed out: “Your people don’t even let us go near the aircraft, and you talk about selling it to us.”
While deepening engagements point to the evolving balancing and hedging in the Indo-Pacific, exercises are a way to prepare for evolving threats rather than be directed at anyone. This was underscored by Air Chief Singh at a press conference along with other chiefs and heads of participating forces. As far as the Indo-Pacific is concerned, the exercise was not meant to be projecting anything in any region, Singh stressed.
What do these exercises translate to in real time? As Gen. Schneider succinctly put it, “We don’t know what the security situation holds or what the future holds. Some of us may be called to do humanitarian assistance disaster relief, or there may be other challenges that we face. But when we come together, we don’t do it cold; we do it on a foundation of teamwork that is established at Tarang Shakti, Pitch Black, Red Flag Alaska, or the myriad of other exercises that take place throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”
Both Exercise Tarang Shakti and Exercise Yudh Abhyas were barometers of the extent of interoperability that has been achieved over the years by India with its key strategic partners.
The aim of Tarang Shakti was to enhance mutual understanding of tactical air power application, strengthen interoperability among participating Air Forces, and foster seamless multinational cooperation through integrated air operations, joint administration, logistics support, and maintenance coordination, a handout given at the event said. From the feedback and observations of participants, the exercise seems to have achieved what it set out to do.
It only reiterates India’s continuing expansion of military-to-military engagements in various formats and across geographies in line with its strategic objectives and in turn, the outcomes shaping the objectives.
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