Exercise Tarang Shakti
Exercise Tarang Shakti | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Military exercise |
Frequency | Biennially |
Location(s) | |
Country | India |
Years active | 0 |
Established | 2024 |
Previous event | None |
Next event | 2024 (6 August – 14 September 2024) |
Participants | Indian Air Force & friendly air forces |
Exercise Tarang Shakti is a biennial multinational air force training exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force. The first edition of the exercise, previously planned in 2023, will be held in 2024. In the debut version, 51 countries has been invited. As of 5 August, 29 countries are confirmed to take part in the exercise while another is poised to join in.[1][2] The 2024 edition will be the largest international air exercise to be held in India. This will also be the first international air exercise exercise to be hosted in India after Exercise Siksha which was hosted 61 years ago.[3]
2024
[edit]The debut exercise to be held in latter half of 2024, is planned in 2 phases. The first phase will be held at Sulur Air Force Station, Tamil Nadu from 6 August to 14 August. The participants of the first phase, other than Indian Air Force includes France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The second phase will be held at Jodhpur Air Force Stations, Rajasthan from 1 September to 14 September. The participants of the second phase includes Australia, Bangladesh, Greece, Singapore, UAE and the USA. A total of 51 nations were invited while 10 foreign nations will participate in the exercise with their assets and 18 other nations will also be present as observers.[1][4][5][6]
A total of 150 aircraft will be deployed by IAF and other air forces which includes:[4]
- Phase 1
Indian Air Force – Tejas Mk 1, Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Rafale, and Dhruv (included transport aircraft)
Indian Navy – MiG-29K[7]
German Air Force – Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus A400M Atlas[8]
French Air and Space Force – 3 Dassault Rafale, 1 Airbus A330 MRTT, 1 Airbus A400M Atlas and 160 personnel[9]
Spanish Air and Space Force – Eurofighter Typhoon
Royal Air Force – 6 Eurofighter Typhoon (No. XI Squadron), 2 Airbus A330 Voyager, 1 Airbus A400M Atlas and 130 personnel[10][11]
- Phase 2
In the afternoon of 6 August, the jets from foreign air forces touched down at Sulur AFS where the first phase of the exercise will be held. The jets were escorted by a formation of four HAL Tejas Mk 1 aircraft, one of which was piloted by Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh. The exercise began with Tejas intercepting German, French and Spanish jets as a part of the training exercise. One of the German Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon was being piloted by Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of German Air Force who flew for five hours to reach India. It is the first time that the German Air Force is participating in an exercise over the Indian soil.[7][12][13][14] The first phase saw the participation of 10 foreign nations (Spain, Germany, France and United Kingdom) including 6 observers. The Indian Air Force also conducted "International Defence Aviation Exposition" (IDAX) on 9 August showcasing indigenous aviation platforms to the foreign participants.[15] HAL Tejas was assigned to the Red Force (hostile) as well as the Blue Force (friendly) and its capabilities were proved in both the cases. The jet also received appreciation from the foreign pilots who piloted them. On 13 August, the Chief of French Air Force, General Stéphane Mille and the Chief of German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz piloted HAL Tejas. Also, the Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari and Chief of Spanish Air Force Air General Francisco Braco Carbó flew on a Sukhoi Su-30MKI.[16]
See also
[edit]- List of exercises of the Indian Air Force
- Exercise Red Flag
- Red Flag – Alaska
- Cope India
- Indradhanush (Air Force Exercise)
- Exercise Garuda
- Exercise Pitch Black
References
[edit]- ^ a b "What is Tarang Shakti, the largest military exercise that India will host?". Hindustan Times. 2024-07-31. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Singh, Mayank (2023-06-07). "12 countries to participate in IAF's biggest-ever exercise". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Jain, Alka (2024-08-06). "India's first multinational air exercise 'Tarang Shakti' to begin today. All you need to know about it". Mint. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ a b Ray, Kalyan. "Exercise Tarang Shakti: India's Largest multinational air exercise to begin on August 6". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "Air Force to host 2-phase Tarang Shakti exercise, 51 countries invited". India Today. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Roushan, Anurag (2024-08-01). "'Tarang Shakti': India set to host its largest multinational air exercise, 51 countries invited". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ a b "India's first ever multinational air exercise 'Tarang Shakti' begins at Sulur Air Force Station". The Times of India. 2024-08-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "Air drills bring new thrust to India, Germany defense ties – DW – 08/05/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "French Air and Space Force to take part in Tarang Shakti exercise in Tamil Nadu". The Economic Times. 2024-08-05. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Exercise Tarang Shakti: A Historic Multilateral Air Drill Takes Off in India". Financialexpress. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "RAF Typhoons make pit stop to take part in India's first multinational air exercise". www.forcesnews.com. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (2024-08-06). "India's multi-national air exercise 'Tarang Shakti 2024' begins in Coimbatore". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "IAF begins its first-ever multinational exercise Tarang Shakti in Sulur with Made in India LCA Tejas in the lead". Asian News International. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ @IAF_MCC (2024-08-06). "The skies over Sulur witnessed the launch of Exercise TarangShakti 24. Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh VCAS of #IAF welcomes German Air Force Cmdr Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz and French, Spanish fighter jets in a spectacular aerial rendezvous, kicking off Phase-I" (Tweet). Retrieved 2024-08-07 – via Twitter.
- ^ "India hosts largest air exercise Tarang Shakti, showcases global aerial prowess". India Today. 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "LCA proved its mettle in Tarang Shakti drills, says IAF chief". Hindustan Times. 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-08-13.