USAF F-35A Stealth Fighters to Exercise With Indian Air Force for First Time at Tarang Shakti 2026

The Indian Air Force will exercise alongside the United States Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighters for the first time during Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, marking a significant expansion of India’s multinational air-combat training programme.

The second edition of Tarang Shakti will be conducted from 26 September to 12 October 2026, with Jodhpur serving as the principal operating base. Eight foreign countries will participate with aircraft and other air assets, while representatives from another 32 countries are expected to attend as observers.

IAF Confirms First Exercise With the F-35

Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit confirmed the participation of the American F-35 during a media briefing on 22 September. While F-35s have visited India previously, including appearances connected with Aero India, Tarang Shakti 2026 will mark the first time the Indian Air Force conducts an exercise involving the fifth-generation fighter.

Recent reporting indicates that the United States could deploy six F-35 fighters for the exercise. The IAF’s public confirmation establishes the participation of the aircraft but does not specify an official number. The six-aircraft figure should therefore be regarded as a reported deployment strength until the final US contingent is officially detailed.

The American contingent is also expected to include KC-135 aerial-refuelling aircraft, allowing the exercise to incorporate tanker-supported operations alongside fighter missions.

F-35 Joins India’s Frontline Combat Aircraft

Tarang Shakti 2026 will bring together aircraft representing several generations and different schools of combat-aircraft design.

India is expected to field platforms including the indigenous LCA Tejas and Su-30MKI, while participating foreign air forces will bring aircraft including the American F-35, French Rafale and UAE F-16.

The presence of the F-35 adds a fifth-generation element to the exercise. The aircraft combines low-observable design with advanced sensors, electronic-warfare capabilities and networked information-sharing systems designed to build a detailed picture of the battlespace.

For Indian pilots and controllers, operating alongside such an aircraft provides exposure to the procedures and operational concepts associated with fifth-generation air warfare.

Complex Multinational Air Operations

Tarang Shakti is designed around considerably more than fighter-versus-fighter engagements. Participating forces are expected to undertake missions involving counter-air operations, air defence, reconnaissance, airlift and air-to-air refuelling, together with other complex operational scenarios.

Modern air warfare requires fighters, tankers, transport aircraft, surveillance assets, ground-based command systems and other elements to function within a coordinated battlespace. Large multinational exercises provide an opportunity to test how aircraft and personnel using different equipment and procedures can operate together.

The exercise will also expose Indian personnel to different approaches to mission planning, command and control, tactical coordination and large-force employment.

Eight Countries Bringing Air Assets

Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are expected to participate with air assets during Tarang Shakti 2026.

Another 32 countries will participate as observers, giving the exercise a considerably wider international footprint than the number of air forces actually deploying aircraft.

India launched Tarang Shakti as a major multinational air exercise in 2024. The inaugural edition was conducted in two phases and brought together aircraft, personnel and observers from numerous friendly countries.

The 2026 edition expands that concept while providing the IAF with another opportunity to conduct large-force multinational operations from Indian bases.

Jodhpur Becomes Hub of Multinational Air Operations

Air Force Station Jodhpur will form the principal hub for Tarang Shakti 2026, with flying activity extending across the large training areas available over western Rajasthan.

The region provides extensive airspace for complex fighter manoeuvres and large-force missions, while access to training areas around Jaisalmer, Barmer, Phalodi and Pokhran allows participating forces to undertake different operational scenarios.

Jodhpur enters Tarang Shakti immediately after hosting Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 between the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force from 9 to 22 September.

That exercise brought Japanese F-2 fighters together with Indian aircraft including the Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale, giving Jodhpur a particularly active period of international air-force engagement during September 2026.

Tejas and F-35 in the Same Exercise Environment

The participation of India’s indigenous LCA Tejas means the fighter will operate within the same multinational exercise environment as the F-35 and several other advanced combat aircraft.

This should not be interpreted as a comparative evaluation between the Tejas and F-35. They belong to different aircraft classes and were developed around different operational requirements. Tarang Shakti is an operational training exercise rather than a competitive aircraft assessment or procurement trial.

Its significance lies instead in placing Indian aircraft, pilots and command systems within a complex multinational environment containing platforms with widely different capabilities.

For India’s indigenous aerospace programme, exercises of this scale also provide valuable opportunities to demonstrate the Tejas in demanding multinational operations alongside aircraft fielded by established global air forces.

From Aero India Appearance to Operational Exercise

F-35 fighters have appeared in India before. The aircraft participated in Aero India, providing Indian military personnel and the public with an opportunity to see the American fifth-generation fighter at close range.

Tarang Shakti 2026 represents a different level of interaction. Instead of participating primarily in an aerospace exhibition, F-35s will operate within an organised multinational exercise involving Indian and foreign combat aircraft.

For the Indian Air Force, this creates an opportunity to gain experience operating alongside a fifth-generation platform while conducting complex missions involving fighters, tankers and other supporting assets.

The participation of the F-35 therefore represents an important milestone for Tarang Shakti itself. What began as India’s largest multinational air exercise in 2024 is developing into a platform through which the IAF can train with increasingly diverse and technologically advanced air forces on Indian soil.

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References

Akashvani News — Tarang Shakti 2026 Multinational Air Exercise to Begin on 26th September in Jodhpur, 22 September 2026.

Indian Air Force — Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 media briefing, 22 September 2026.

Times of India — In a First, US’s 5th-Gen Stealth Jet F-35 to Take Part in IAF’s Multinational Exercise Tarang Shakti, 23 September 2026.

Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Air Defence Exercise With JASDF: Exercise Veer Guardian-2026, September 2026.

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