Tarang Shakti 2026 Concludes at Jodhpur Airbase as Eight Nations Fly Joint Exercises
The second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 concluded at the Jodhpur Airbase in Rajasthan with eight nations, including India, participating in the multilateral air combat drill. France's Mission Pégase 26, the French Air and Space Force's seventh long-range air projection exercise running from September 8 to October 15, 2026, brought four Rafale F4s and supporting aircraft to the event, covering a 40,000-kilometre route from the Arctic with Jodhpur as one of nine stopovers.
🗳️ Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 Concludes at Jodhpur Airbase With 150 Aircraft From Eight Nations
Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 concluded at the Jodhpur Airbase in Rajasthan on Monday, bringing to a close the second edition of this multilateral military air exercise. Eight nations, including India, took part in the drill, which saw 150 domestic and foreign fighter aircraft take to the skies above the Jodhpur base. The participation of aircraft from multiple nations across the duration of the exercise reflected the considerable scale of this multinational event. As the host nation, India facilitated the participation of foreign air forces alongside its own fleet at the Jodhpur Airbase, the central venue for the second edition of Tarang Shakti. The combined 150 aircraft from home and partner nations demonstrated a range of aerial capabilities, with the exercise providing an operational platform for joint flying activities between participating countries. The eight-nation grouping represented a broadening of international defence engagement at the Jodhpur base. The exercise brought together domestic Indian jets and foreign fighter aircraft to operate from the same airbase, marking a significant logistical and operational coordination effort. The conclusion of the second edition of Tarang Shakti marked a notable event for Jodhpur, with the city's airbase once again functioning as the stage for a large-scale multinational air exercise involving 150 fighter aircraft from India and seven partner nations across two editions. [2]
🗳️ French Air Force Mission Pégase 26 Deploys Rafale F4s to Jodhpur for Tarang Shakti
The French Air and Space Force arrived in Jodhpur as part of Mission Pégase 26, its seventh long-range air projection exercise, which ran from September 8 to October 15, 2026. The mission's objectives centred on demonstrating the force's core capability to rapidly project long-range air power anywhere in the world and to defend France's overseas territories or strategic interests. For the Jodhpur leg of the exercise, French forces participated in Exercise Tarang Shakti, the high-intensity multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The seventh edition of Mission Pégase, a series that began in 2018, deployed a 300-strong aircrew along with four Rafale F4 aircraft, three A330 MRTT Phénix tanker-transport aircraft, and two A400M Atlas tactical transport planes. The mission followed a route of 40,000 kilometres with nine stopovers, beginning from the Arctic. This combination of aircraft types — Rafale fighters, Phénix tankers, and Atlas transports — reflected the full-spectrum nature of Mission Pégase as a demonstration of force projection over extreme distances. Jodhpur served as a key waypoint along the 40,000-kilometre route, connecting the Indian Air Force's hosting role at Tarang Shakti to the broader international ambitions of the seventh Pégase mission launched in 2018 and continuing through its current edition. [9]
Sources: [2] ETV Bharat · [9] La France en Inde