Tarang Shakti: the largest military exercise that India will host

Source: HindustanTimes

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

Indian Air Force vice chief Air Marshal said that the air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ will be the largest international air exercise ever conducted in India.

Details

Indian Air Force participated in Air Exercise Red Flag (June 4-14, 2024) in Alaska with Singaporean and American forces, engaging in beyond-visual-range combat scenarios.
Locations: Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan
Countries Invited: 51
Confirmed Participation:
- - With Assets: 10 countries
  - As Observers: 18 countries
Notable Participants in Phase One: France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
Notable Participants in Phase Two: Australia, Bangladesh, Greece, Singapore, UAE, USA

Objectives

Strengthen Strategic Relations: Enhance relationships with international community members.
Mutual Understanding: Improve mutual understanding of air operations through complex missions.
Showcase Indigenous Defence: Highlight India's defence ecosystem and indigenous products.
Interoperability and Expertise Sharing: Foster professional exchanges and share best practices among participating air forces.

Key Highlights

Aircraft and Assets:
- - Foreign Assets: F-18, A-18, C-130, F-16, A-10, KC-130, KC-135, Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale
  - Indian Assets: Tejas, Prachand, Dhruv, Rudra, MiG-29K (Indian Navy)
Phases:
- - Phase One: Conducted at Sulur, Tamil Nadu, featuring participation from four countries.
  - Phase Two: Conducted at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, featuring participation from six countries.
Defence Expo: Displays from top Indian defence companies and innovative startups.

Military Exercises Involving India

Joint Military Exercises by the Indian Army

Joint Military Exercises by the Indian Navy

Exercise Name	Participating Countries
MALABAR	India, USA, Japan, Australia
Varuna	India and France
La Perouse	India, Australia, USA, France, Japan, UK
Sea Dragon	India, USA, Japan, Canada, South Korea
Konkan	India and UK
AIME & IMDEX	India and ASEAN Countries
Bright Star	India and 34 Countries
SALVEX	India and USA
SLINEX	India and Sri Lanka
Samudra Shakti	India and Indonesia
Al-Mohed Al-Hindi	India and Saudi Arabia
India-France-UAE trilateral exercise	India, France, UAE
PASSEX	India, France, UAE
KOMODO	India and 36 Countries
AUSINDEX	India and Australia
SIMBEX	India and Singapore

Major Exercises Conducted by the Air Force

Exercise Name	Description	Location
Ex Veer Guardian	First Air Exercise between India and Japan	-
Ex PASSEX with France	Joint exercise with French fighter aircraft	Indian Ocean Region
Ex Desert Flag-8	First participation of Tejas in an international air exercise	Al-Dhafra, UAE
Ex Cobra Warrior	Multinational Air Exercise	UK
Ex Cope India	Joint exercise of India with USAF and Japan (observer)	AFS Kalaikunda & Panagarh, India
Ex Orion	Multinational exercise	France
Ex INIOCHOS	First Air Exercise between India and Greece	Greece
Ex Bright Star	Joint exercise with Egypt	Egypt

Domestic Exercises

Multilateral Exercises

Exercise Name	Participating Countries	Type

RIMPAC	Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, UK, USA	Navy
Malabar	India, USA, Japan	Navy
Cobra Gold	Asia-Pacific nations	Multilateral
Force Eighteen	18 ASEAN Plus countries	Multilateral

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q: Consider the following statements about Exercise Yudh Abhyas:

Exercise Yudh Abhyas is a joint military exercise conducted annually between the Indian Army and the U.S. Army.
The 2023 edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas was held in Alaska, focusing on high-altitude warfare and cold-weather survival techniques.
One of the primary objectives of Exercise Yudh Abhyas is to conduct integrated brigade-level training with a focus on counterterrorism operations and humanitarian assistance.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1 and 3 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: D)

TARANG SHAKTI