Taranga Shakti: The first and largest-ever multinational air exercise

Exercise Tarang Shakti

The Indian Air Force hosted its first and largest-ever multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti, which began at the Air Force Station in Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Enriched with the Red Flag exercise experience, the IAF hosted the participating contingents from other countries during Tarang Shakti-2024, which is the first ever Indian multinational air exercise by the IAF.

The exercise is being held in two phases. The first Phase of Exercise Tarang Shakti commenced on 06 August, and it continued till 14 August was held in South India whereas the second Phase will be held at Jodhpur in Rajasthan from 01 to 14 September.

The first Phase brought together Air Forces from ten countries, including Germany, France, and Spain participating directly, and other nations attending as observers. The Indian Air Force aims to build stronger bonds and strategic partnerships through this exercise. The second Phase will see participation from Australia, Bangladesh, Greece, Singapore, UAE and the USA with their assets.

Some countries will participate in both Phases, while others will join one of the two phases. Among the other countries sending contingents are Japan and the United Kingdom.

As a part of Phase one, the Chiefs of the four participating Air Forces flew in a unique formation of two Su-30MKIs and two HAL Tejas two-seaters. These included Indian Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, together with General Stephane Mille, Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, Lt General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of the German Air Force, and Air General Francisco Braco Carbo, the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Air and Space Force.

The Chief of the German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, post his sortie termed his sortie on Indian Air Force’s indigenous Indian fighter jet Tejas as a “great experience”. Germany had deployed fighter jets and also an A-400M transport aircraft. The presence of the A-400M aircraft is significant for the IAF, given that it is a contender for the open tender for medium transport aircraft.

Group Captain Neil Jones, Air Adviser, at the British High Commission, said: “Exercise Tarang Shakti adds to a significant milestone in the ongoing relationship between the Air Forces of our two countries. Training in a multilateral environment provides a unique exposure to new challenges as well as integration of our tactics and skills across all specialisations. For the Royal Air Force, it also demonstrates our ability to deploy and sustain air operations over great distances and maintain an effective presence in the Indo-Pacific, whilst working with partner nations; it is a pleasure for us to be here.”

The UK RAF contingent comprised 130 personnel, six Eurofighter Typhoons, two A330 Voyager air to air refuelling tankers and an A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, operated from Sulur Air Force Station.

Ex ‘Tarang Shakti’ will encompass a wide spectrum of aerial tactics and manoeuvres. Senior leaders from all exercising Air Forces would be hosted as Distinguished visitors (DV) during both phases of the exercise. The DV day has various events which include static displays, expositions and aerial displays. give senior hierarchy from different contingents a chance to meet and thus foster `inter contingents relations.

Ex-Tarang Shakti, consequently aims to offer the aircrew and ground personnel an exciting and challenging training environment. This approach will be helpful in enhancing the participating nations’ understanding of each other and, more crucially, the work accomplished collectively.

The significant features of the exercise are benchmarking to improve individual and joint operational capabilities. The exercise involves sharing best practices and procedures among the participating air forces. In addition, there is a strong focus on airborne networking, a crucial factor that defines the capacity of aerial networking and guarantees connectivity and data exchange.

The Ex-Tarang Shakti is committed to ensuring the success of strategies and procedures through real-time simulation, demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement and adaptability. Integration of Sensor Data is implemented to support the concept of Enhanced Situational Awareness.

Incidentally in November 1963, soon after the 1962 conflict an unprecedented global air defence exercise took place in India. The exercise ‘Shiksha’ (Sanskrit for ‘learning’) brought together India, the US, the UK, and Australia air forces in unprecedented collaboration.

The Air Chief has also announced that the Multilateral air exercise Tarang Shakti to be made a biennial event.

Why Do We Hold Such Exercises?

In the domain of international relations, military diplomacy has, in recent years, emerged as a major tool to further diplomatic interests of nations. Participation in international level military exercises is an indication of the highest level of trust and confidence between nations. It is a key confidence building measure (CBM) and an indication of the faith reposed by India on another nation or a group of member nations.

On the operational side, military exercises enable militaries to understand each other’s drills and procedures, overcome language barriers, and facilitate familiarisation with equipment capabilities. It also facilitates understanding and familiarisation with new technologies that other countries may be utilising and enables on-the-job training of each other’s crews.

This is particularly useful in the event of joint operations whether in war or in operations other than war (OOTW) – Humanitarian Aid, Disaster Relief, Anti-Piracy, United Nations Peace Keeping Operations or other such circumstances when nations come together for a common cause. An example was the aid assistance provided by a host of nations during the tsunami in South East Asia where a massive land, air and sea rescue effort was successfully executed to provide relief to the affected countries. Incidentally, the QUAD traces its origin from the 2004 adhoc Tsunami Core Group which catalysed international response efforts in the aftermath of the tsunami that devastated many countries in the region.

India has realised the potential of joint military exercises as part of military diplomacy. In the last decade or so, India has undertaken Army joint exercises with 18 countries, Naval exercises with 14 countries and Air Force exercises with eight countries. The objectives for joint military exercises are different, which range from inter-operability to demonstration of capabilities, developing trust, comradery and familiarity between militaries.

The location of exercises in itself is an indication of deep engagement and trust with the partners. The Naval exercises between India, Japan and the US in the Sea of Japan obviously are a signal directed to China. These exercises also act as a platform to assess weapons, equipment and a display of technology that can be made available
to allies.

Our Armed Forces are represented by various units / Battalions in such exercises which is decided, based on the nature and requirement of a specific exercise. The expenditure incurred also varies on the magnitude of our participation and assets deployed during such exercises. The joint military exercises with friendly countries result in constructive engagements in operational terms and enhances the skills of our Armed Forces in a number of diverse areas of war-fighting by operating with Armed Forces of various nations. In this process the current tactical and technological practices / techniques etc., are exchanged during such exercises.

This is a continuous process; however, relevant steps are taken from time to time to engage friendly countries and to enhance the scope of exercises based on the principle of mutual benefit and our own strategic requirements. Another objective is to develop joint operational capability, share useful experiences of counter-terrorism operations and foster friendly relations between India and China.

Some of the famous exercises that Indian Armed Forces have participated in are Exercise Yudh Abhyas with the US, Exercise Maitree with Thailand, Exercise Shakti with France, Exercise Indira with Russia, Exercise KAZIND with Kazakhstan, Exercise DUSTLIK with Uzbekistan, Exercise Malabar with Australia, India, Japan and US, Exercise RIMPAC with Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, South Korea Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the UK and US and Exercise Cobra-Gold with Asia-Pacific countries.

Interestingly, India had carried out a major military exercise called ‘Hand-in-Hand’ with China since 2003. In 2007, both sides decided to expand the scope of the joint military exercises to include artillery, armoured, and air force units. The exercise was also renamed “Hand in Hand.” The last exercise was held in July 2019 in Meghalaya and a similar exercise was earlier held in China. The objective was to build and promote strong relations between the armies of India and China. However, as ties with China have been strained owing to the standoff in Ladakh, in 2020, the exercise has not been held thereafter. The 2017 engagement was also suspended due to Doklam.

Conclusion

The goal set by India is to develop the country by the year 2047 and to take the bilateral defence ties with friendly foreign countries to the next level. Exercise Tarang Shakti is a step towards India’s embrace of these goals and presents India as a credible defence force and a ‘player’ towards ‘Atmanirbharta’ in defence.

During the exercise, India will also demonstrate its indigenous defence equipment to participants of the participating countries as well as other dignitaries. This would range from Fighter aircraft to helicopters to attack helicopters to air defence systems to air-to-air BVR missiles to ground based radars, etc. During the exercise, a variety of weapon systems, including LCA Tejas, LCH Prachanda, and other weapon systems, designed and manufactured in India would be displayed.

The Indian military, in recent years, has significantly enhanced its engagement with the global community through a series of multilateral exercises, showcasing its growing prowess and commitment to global peace and stability. These exercises, conducted with various countries across continents, are more than just a display of military might; they are pivotal platforms for enhancing strategic partnerships, sharing knowledge, and improving operational capabilities in a rapidly evolving global security environment.

A military exercise or war game is a measure to test the performance of the Armed Forces without engaging in the battlefield. It facilitates better coordination between the militaries, observation of enemy’s tactics, and familiarisation with new technologies, enabling on-the-job training of each other’s crews. These are useful in case of joint military operations be it in war or in operations other than war such as disaster relief, and humanitarian aid. According to a 2021 study, joint military exercises between allies deter adversaries.

Perhaps, the most important advantage of joint military exercises is ‘strategic signaling’. A joint exercise with one or more nations serves the purpose of signaling to a third country of the influence we have in the region and a demonstration of our resolve to further our diplomatic objectives. On the intangible side, military exercises promote brotherhood and camaraderie between soldiers and militaries. Besides goodwill, it is a tool for projection of a nation’s soft power.

There is no doubt that the future lies in cooperation, in a shared system of global development, and a shared position as major powers on the international stage. Such exercises also go a long way in cementing relationships between participating nations and act as a catalyst in bringing bonhomie at grassroots levels between the armies of their countries.”

The Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Marshal, AP Singh, hailed Ex ‘Tarang Shakti’ as a ‘landmark event’ in Indian military history. He underscored its uniqueness as the most significant and exclusive international air operation ever conducted in the Indian realm; 51 countries were sent invitations, of which 30 countries agreed to participate, which signifies India’s growing friendships and partnerships.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Major General Jagatbir Singh was commissioned into 18 Cavalry in December 1981. During his 38 years of service in the Army he has held various command, staff and instructional appointments and served in varied terrains in the country. He has served in a United Nations Peace Keeping Mission as a Military Observer in Iraq and Kuwait.  He has been an instructor to Indian Military Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He is  a prolific writer in defence & national security and adept at public speaking.


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