For the last ten days, the skies above Sulur, Tamil Nadu were abuzz with the roar of fighter aircraft, including Eurofighter Typhoons, French Rafales, and India’s own LCA Tejas. These fighter aircrafts were participating in the Indian Air Force’s hosted largest-ever multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti, at the Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu’s Sulur. This ambitious exercise, which was set to showcase the air strength of various nations, held special significance as it coincided with the Independence Day celebrations.
The first phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti commenced on August 6 and concluded on August 14. The first phase brought together air forces from 10 countries, with the likes of Germany, France, and Spain along with the United Kingdom participating directly, and other nations attending as observers.
The second phase, scheduled to be held at Jodhpur from August 29 to September 14, will see the involvement of Australia, Bangladesh, the UAE, Singapore, the US, and Greece.
The atmosphere at Sulur, during the last ten days was charged with the sight and sound of these powerful machines cutting through the air, symbolising a strong spirit of cooperation and mutual respect among the participating nations.
The first phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti commenced on August 6 and concluded on August 14. The first phase brought together air forces from 10 countries, with the likes of Germany, France, and Spain
The Indian Air Force was an active participant and host, showcasing an impressive lineup of its aerial assets, including the Rafale, Sukhoi, Mirage, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29, Prachand, Rudra attack helicopters, ALH Dhruv, C-130, IL-78, and AWACS systems.
These aircraft represent the cutting edge of India’s aviation capabilities, and their participation in Tarang Shakti is a testament to the nation’s growing prowess in the aerospace domain.
An exhibition of indigenous aviation platforms was also organised during this phase, highlighting India’s advancements in the field.
As the event came to a close, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) VR Chaudhari announced plans to make the exercise a biennial event. He stressed that it should not be seen as a “challenge to any other nation.”
“We will definitely take up the case of having this exercise once in every alternate year. We will take a call later on how many nations we can accommodate. But this is definitely not the last,” ACM Chaudhari said.
The IAF Chief and the Spanish Chief flew sorties in the Russian-origin Su-30MKI, while the German and French chiefs flew the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. The LCA, the smallest fighter in the exercise, came in for praise from the visiting air chiefs.
ACM Chaudhari said the IAF would collate all the debrief points at the end of phase two and analyse them before taking a call on how many nations could be made a part of the next edition of Tarang Shakti. At the same time, he also stressed, “This is a training exercise where we learnt how to operate an aircraft with or without a datalink, how to create a common communication protocol, and common tactics and programmmes. There is no other objective.”
The IAF Chief and the Spanish Chief flew sorties in the Russian-origin Su-30MKI, while the German and French chiefs flew the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. The LCA, the smallest fighter in the exercise, came in for praise from the visiting air chiefs.
Major Alexis Galouzeau, 38, a French Air Force Rafale pilot who flew missions with and against the LCA Mk-1, was impressed with the capabilities of the Indian fighter jet. “It has fantastic manoeuvrability and can carry out a variety of missions,” he said.
This was the first time the LCA Mk-1 took part in such large force engagements and “we are proud of its performance,” Chaudhari said. “Tejas is the epitome of our success in the self-reliance campaign. We will use the aircraft more in air combat drills both within and outside the country,” he said.
“We will use the LCA more in air combat drills within and outside the country,” ACM Chaudhari said. Germany, Spain, and the UK fielded their Eurofighter Typhoon while the French deployed the Rafale. This is the first time Germany has joined an air exercise in Indian skies. These air forces joined Phase-I on their return journey home after participating in Exercise Pitch Black, hosted by Australia.
The IAF chief endorsed the capabilities of the LCA Mk-1 at a time when its advanced variant LCA Mk-1A is delayed. “If we had adequate numbers of LCA Mk-1As, the aircraft would have taken part in Tarang Shakti,” Chaudhari said in response to a question.
This was the first time the LCA Mk-1 took part in such large force engagements and “we are proud of its performance, Tejas is the epitome of our success in the self-reliance campaign. We will use the aircraft more in air combat drills both within and outside the country,” Chaudhari said.
A question mark hangs over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) ability to meet the delivery timeline of the 83 LCA Mk-1As on order. IAF will have to wait longer for the first aircraft that was supposed to be delivered by March 31, 2024.
The first aircraft is now likely to be delivered only in November 2024. After missing the March 31 deadline, HAL hoped to deliver the first aircraft in July but again revised it to a later date in August.
IAF is unhappy with the current pace of the LCA Mk-1A programme because of the possible risks the delay in the induction of new fighter planes could pose to the air force’s combat effectiveness, and has flagged the hot-button issue to HAL, calling for timely execution of the ₹48,000-crore contract.
HAL had then said it will deliver 16 of these fighters to IAF in FY 2024-25 as per schedule. It also said it hoped to deliver all the 83 aircraft on order by 2028-29. The LCA Mk-1A made its maiden sortie from an HAL facility in Bengaluru on March 28.
Many in the air force are sceptical about the LCA Mk-1A deadlines being met, and one of the main reasons for that is the lingering delay in the supply of the F404 engines to HAL by US firm GE Aerospace. The delivery of the engines is delayed by around 10 months. Also, the certification of new systems in the aircraft is still pending. The single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter.
A question mark hangs over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) ability to meet the delivery timeline of the 83 LCA Mk-1As on order. IAF will have to wait longer for the first aircraft that was supposed to be delivered by March 31, 2024.
The defence ministry could award HAL a contract for 97 more LCA Mk-1As to strengthen the air force’s capabilities by the end of the year. The contract is estimated to be worth ₹67,000 crore. The upcoming deal will be the second order for the LCA Mk-1A after the ministry awarded HAL the ₹48,000-crore contract for 83 such aircraft in February 2021.
The Tarang Shakti exercise also served as a platform for the Indian Air Force to not only demonstrate its operational capabilities but also to foster collaboration with other nations, reinforcing the strategic ties that are essential in today’s complex global security environment.
As the first phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti draws to a close, anticipation builds for the second phase in Jodhpur, where more nations will join the exercise, further enhancing the spirit of cooperation and strengthening the bonds of friendship among the participating countries.
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