Indian Air Force (IAF) kicked off its Mother-of-all-Exercises, “Tarang Shakti,” with a Press Conference in New Delhi on 31 July 2023. It is the first-of-its-kind and largest multinational air exercise in India.
In fact, the last multilateral exercise in India involving more than one foreign air force was “Exercise Shiksha” in 1963 after the 1962 war with China. That one included the air forces of the USA, UK, and Australia.
For Tarang Shakti, the IAF extended an invitation to 51 friendly foreign countries. In its briefing, chaired by Air Marshal AP Singh, Vice Chief of Air Staff, the IAF explained that the focus was on enhancing mutual understanding of air power, realistic operations, strengthening military ties, and showcasing indigenous defense equipment.
Tarang Shakti was earlier planned to be held in late 2023 but had been deferred. The exercise is planned in two phases.
Phase-I At Sulur Airbase
Phase I will be held at AF Station Sulur near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, in India’s southern peninsula from 06-14 Aug 24. The participants will be the air forces of Germany, France, Spain, and the UK.
Most of these countries are already engaged in Exercise ‘Pitch Black’ in Australia and would find it convenient to engage in the first phase while on their way back from Australia. Indian Navy’s MiG-29K fighters will join Phase I.
Sulur is the home base of LCA ‘Tejas’. This former Royal Navy and Indian Navy base is India’s second largest airbase after Hindon. It is one of the bases responsible for the protection of India from the seaside.
It is among the few airbases in India that hosts fighters, transports, and helicopters at one location. After gaining independence, the Indian Navy established INS Hansa at this airbase to operate Hawker Sea Hawks. After the liberation of Goa, INA Hansa was shifted to Goa’s Dabolim airfield, and Sulur was taken over by the Air Force.
The base is home to 5 Base Repair Depot and 43 Wing of the Indian Air Force. It also houses an Antonov An-32 medium transport aircraft squadron and a Mi-17 V5 transport helicopter unit. The Sarang helicopter display team’s home base is also there. Starting in July 2018, it became the base for LCA Tejas.
Phase II at Jodhpur
After a two-week break, the slightly larger Phase-II will be at AF Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 29 Aug to 14 Sep 24. It will include Australia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Greece, UAE, and the USA, along with 18 countries as observers.
The Jodhpur Flying Club was established by Maharaja Umaid Singh in the 1920s at a small airfield near his Chittar Palace (Umaid Bhavan Palace) in Jodhpur. Over the next three decades, the airfield grew in stature and was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II.
It was upgraded in 1950 after the formation of the Royal Indian Air Force (which later became the Indian Air Force). Jodhpur was home to the IAF’s Air Force Flying College until the 1965 war.
It is one of the major airbases facing Pakistan in the desert sector and played a great operational role in both the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan Wars. Over the years it had been home to many leading IAF aircraft.
It was home to the Indigenous HF-24 “Marut,” Mikoyan MiG-23 BN, MiG-27, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, HAL Dhruv, Mil Mi-17, and the first base of Indigenous LCH ‘Prachand’. The airbase has hosted many bilateral air exercises with the US Air Force (USAF), the “Garuda” series with the French Air and Space Force (FASF), and more recently, air exercises with Oman.
#ExTarangShakti24 pic.twitter.com/2GSNBZipde
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 5, 2024
Countries Invited
Air Forces of 51 countries were invited for this first-of-its-kind and largest multinational air exercise. The nations invited are friendly foreign countries with whom the IAF interacts regularly and has a certain degree of interoperability.
Many IAF frequently carry out air exercises in India or elsewhere. These countries cover all the continents. A large number are from the Global South. Many of those invited are from Asia and Africa. All India’s friendly neighbors were invited. There are some with which India shares equipment or training teams. Many of these look up to India for guidance and support. Some are using Indian defense equipment.
Continental-sized Australia, which hosted the just concluding “Pitch Black” exercise, is invited. From Africa, invites went to (alphabetically) Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Tunisia. From Asia were Armenia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Republic of Korea (RoK), Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK were invited from Europe. The USA is the only North American country. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela are from South America. It can be noticed that India’s great military equipment partners, Russia and Israel, are not on the list, though Russia was invited. Both are currently engaged in conflicts in their regions.
Participating Forces
Australia will bring the F-18, Bangladesh C-130, France Rafale, Germany Typhoon, Greece F-16, Spain Typhoon, UAE F-16 & AWACS, UK Typhoon, and Singapore C-130.
The US is participating with F-16s, A-10s, and FRAs. The F-35 will not participate. The IAF was exposed to the F-35 elsewhere in Red Flag and the recent Pitch Black exercises. Germany will also showcase the A-400M, which is competing for an IAF tender.
IAF will field LCA ‘Tejas, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, Mig-29, LCH ‘Prachand’, ALH Mk IV ‘Rudra’, C-130, IL-78 (FRA), and Netra and Phalcon AEW&C. Many of IAF assets would not typically deploy abroad for bilateral or multilateral drills. Now, they will get a chance to learn from a wealth of global experiences.
IAF’s Growing Large-Scale Military Exercises
The IAF has participated in over 91 international air exercises since the beginning of this century. In the last decade, IAF has begun carrying out multiple military exercises with foreign nations and their air forces to increase interoperability between themselves.
Some are also multinational exercises. Some of the regular exercises where IAF participates include Exercise Garuda (India, France), Cope India (India, USA), SINDEX (India, Singapore), Indradhanush (India, UK), Exercise Red Flag (Multinational, Host: USA), Exercise Desert Eagle (India, UAE), Exercise Eastern Bridge (India, Oman), Siam Bharat (India, Thailand), Exercise INDRA – tri-service (India, Russia), Exercise Blue Flag (Multinational, Host: Israel), Exercise Pitch Black (Multinational, Host: Australia), Shinyuu Maitri (India, Japan), Exercise Desert Knight (India, France, UAE), Cobra Warrior (UK, multinational), Iniochos (Greece, multinational), and Exercise Desert Warrior (India, Egypt).
Some air exercises are carried out within India without foreign participation. These are the Multi-Agency Exercise ‘Pralay Sahayam’ (Disaster response exercise), Exercise DANX (Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Exercise), Gaganshakti, Vayushakti, Exercise Iron Fist, and Bharat Shakti (Tri-service), and they have been of a major scale. Exercise Tarang Shakti will now be the first very large multinational exercise hosted by India.
Exercise & Administrative Complexities
These exercises help the IAF build professional relationships with the world’s leading air forces. Hosting a complex multinational exercise has extreme learning value for the host.
Over the years, India has very successfully hosted large aviation events such as the Aero India “Airshow” at Yelhanka’ Bengaluru and Wings India (formerly the Indian Civil Aviation Airshow) biennial air show held in Hyderabad, Telangana. India understands the support required to host and position diverse equipment and platforms. Also, it will be a major challenge to accommodate such a large number of personnel in secure hotels nearby.
Operational planning and flying require months of hard work and coordination. Broad arrays of operational scenarios will be evolved. The missions would include beyond-visual-range combat exercises as part of large force engagements (LFE), inoffensive counter-air, and air defense roles.
LFE requires very detailed mission plans. One has to look into de-confliction and flight safety. Every sortie must have a very detailed briefing. Flight safety considerations have to be spelled out. Plan B’ will be put on the table.
Mission aims have to be explicit. Electronics briefing will be important. Electronic warfare will be selectively practiced. There will be detailed debriefs to derive lessons and even make amends for future missions.
Both phases will be similar in operational complexity and involve the full range of platforms and equipment, including fighters, AEW&C, FRA, transports, helicopters, radars, missile systems, and Special Forces. The exercise will also test the maintenance crew to ensure high serviceability and meet the high mission tempo.
Showcasing India
A large number of Indigenous platforms will be seen in action. “Make-in-India equipment, including LCA Tejas, LCH Prachand, Netra AEW&C, Akash SAM, and some other weapon systems, will be showcased at the ground events.
During the exercise, defense and technology-related industrial exhibitions of Made in India will be held at Sulur and Jodhpur. Several high-level military engagements are planned on the sidelines. The IAF’s Agniveers will also participate in the Tarang Shakti 2024.
To Summarise
India’s economy and diplomacy have transformed, and the world is wooing it. India has the fourth most powerful military and will soon be the third-largest economy. New Delhi is thus in a position to engage the world on its own terms.
Tarang Shakti will also showcase the IAF and India more broadly. The IAF will learn and share best practices with the leading visiting air arms, making this a win-win for all involved.
This theatre-level exercise would involve nearly 70 aircraft at a time. As defense analyst Angad Singh says, “The exercise would provide the conditions for stress testing of participating forces and generate representative outcomes and learnings.”
Some of the key takeaways from the exercise would include enhancing interoperability with international partners and a collaborative understanding of employment philosophy in a multinational environment. It will be a huge exposure for young crew members.
The exercise will prove the IAF’s professional reputation and cement the country’s place as a serious geopolitical player. Will Tarang Shakti become a regular multi-national triennial exercise for years to come? The question will evolve in due course.
- Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired) is an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and is the Ex-Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. He has been decorated with both gallantry and distinguished service medals while serving in the IAF for 40 years. He tweets @Chopsyturvey
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