Article Posted on : - Jun 29, 2023

Rafale multi-role fighters of the Indian Air Force. (Photo: PIB)

NEW DELHI (PTI): India is set to host a mega air exercise in October that is expected to witness participation of around 12 air forces and the focus of the wargame will be to improve military cooperation and enhancing interoperability, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

‘Tarang Shakti’ will be the biggest air exercise being organised in India, they said.

It is learnt that air forces of France, the UK, Australia, the US and Japan would participate in the exercise.

Six countries will participate in ‘Tarang Shakti’ with their aerial assets like fighter jets, military transport aircraft and mid-air refuellers while six other nations will be invited as observers.

The people cited above said the exercise is likely to be held in the Rajasthan sector.

In the last few months, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has participated in a number of major overseas exercises.

In April, the IAF sent four Rafale fighters, two C-17 transport aircraft and two IL-78 mid-air refuellers for a nearly three-week multinational air exercise at France's Mont-de-Marsan military base.

Four Rafale fighter aircraft carried out a "strategic" mission last month over the Indian Ocean region for over six hours, in a significant demonstration of their long-range combat capabilities.

In April, the air forces of India and the US carried out ‘Exercise Cope India’ in Kalaikunda, Panagarh and Agra.

The US deployed B1 bomber jets and F-15 fighter aircraft besides other assets in the exercise.

Meanwhile, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, addressing a seminar said on Wednesday that human capital will always be supreme and should therefore be nurtured.

Emerging technologies would, however, remain symbiotic with human intellect, thereby necessitating the need to absorb and adapt with it continuously, he said.

The Indian Air Force held a 'Capstone' seminar marking the culmination of the No. 2 Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Programme (WASP).

The WASP is a strategic education programme of 15 weeks duration which was started in 2022 and is structured to provide the participants with a deep understanding of military strategies.