IAF Multinational Air Exercises: Tarang Shakti, Pitch Black, Red Flag and More

Picture two football teams that have never met. Put them on one side, and they will trip over each other. Air forces face the same problem.

Each air force has its own radios, codes and habits. In a real crisis, they may need to fly side by side. So they practise first.

• Pilots learn how partners plan and fight.
• Ground crews swap repair and maintenance tips.
• Mock battles use a Blue team (friends) against a Red team (the enemy).
• Each exercise also builds trust between countries.

Exams love to ask one thing: which exercise goes with which country? The rest of this lesson sorts that out.

For years, the IAF mostly travelled to other countries’ exercises. Tarang Shakti changed that. It is the IAF’s own multinational air exercise.

The first edition, 2024

The first Tarang Shakti was held in 2024. It was the first multinational air exercise India ever hosted. It ran in two phases (Wikipedia).

• Phase 1: Sulur, Tamil Nadu, in August 2024.
• Phase 2: Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 30 August to 14 September 2024.

The second edition, 2026

Tarang Shakti 2026 runs from 26 September to 12 October 2026. It is based at Air Force Station Jodhpur and nearby bases (Akashvani News).

• Eight countries send aircraft: Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the USA.
• 32 more nations come to watch, as observers.

Northern Australia is huge and almost empty. That makes it perfect for fighter jets. Here the Royal Australian Air Force hosts Pitch Black, every two years.

The name is a clue. The exercise stresses flying at night. It is held mainly from RAAF bases at Darwin and Tindal (PIB).

When did India join?

• For years, India only sent observers.
• In 2018, the IAF flew there with fighters for the first time: four Su-30MKI jets.
• In 2026, the IAF sent Rafale jets, with C-17 and IL-78 support aircraft.
• Pitch Black 2026 ran from 20 July to 7 August. Air forces from over 20 nations took part.

India and the USA practise air combat in two ways. One is a giant US event. The other is a two-country exercise.

Red Flag: the big US drill

Red Flag is run by the US Air Force. It began in 1975. Its home is Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. A second version, Red Flag-Alaska, is held at Eielson Air Force Base (PIB).

• The IAF flew in Red Flag 2024 in Alaska, from 4 to 14 June.
• It sent Rafale jets.
• Singapore, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany also took part.

Cope India: India and the US alone

Cope India is a bilateral exercise between the IAF and the US Air Force. It is held in India. The first was at Gwalior in 2004 (PIB).

Cope India 2023 used three bases: Arjan Singh (Panagarh), Kalaikunda and Agra. Japanese aircrew came as observers.

Most IAF exercises are bilateral. Each has its own name. The easiest way to learn them is as pairs.

Garuda: the oldest pair

Garuda is the IAF’s exercise with the French Air and Space Force. The 8th edition, Garuda 25, was held at Mont-de-Marsan, France. It ran from 16 to 27 November 2025. The IAF flew Su-30MKI jets (PIB).

Udara Shakti and Veer Guardian

Udara Shakti is with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. In 2024, IAF Su-30MKI jets flew beside Malaysia’s Su-30MKM jets at Kuantan (PIB).

Veer Guardian is with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. In its 2026 edition at Jodhpur, the two air chiefs flew together in a Tejas formation. Japan’s chief flew in a Tejas trainer.