US F-35 fighters to debut in Indian multinational air exercise

NEW DELHI — The U.S. Air Force’s F-35 stealth fighters will join India’s Tarang Shakti multinational air exercise, marking the first time a fifth-generation fighter conducts tactical missions from an Indian airbase. The drills begin this weekend at Jodhpur air base in Rajasthan, about 200 kilometers from the Pakistan border. Eight countries are participating and 32 more are attending as observers. India will deploy its major fighters such as Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas and Mirage 2000; France is sending Rafale jets and the United Arab Emirates is sending F-16s. The inclusion of the F-35 aims to give the Indian Air Force and partner nations firsthand exposure to operating with a stealth aircraft, integrating sensor data, networking forces and complicating detection by adversary radars. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said Tarang Shakti is designed to reveal what still needs to be learned and to improve interoperability by testing assumptions in a realistic environment. The move also underscores continuing defense ties with Washington even as broader ties face trade and energy concerns. In addition to the United States, France and UAE, participants include Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Greece, with observers from other nations. The exercise is scheduled to run through Oct. 12, following a separate Japan-India drill in which Tokyo deployed Mitsubishi F-2A fighters.