In a striking visual demonstration of deepening Indo-US defence ties, an Indian Air Force TEJAS light fighter and a United States Air Force F-35A Lightning-II stealth jet flew together in formation during Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 over the Rajasthan desert.

The US Embassy in India released video footage of the joint sortie, calling it a “landmark debut” for the fifth-generation stealth fighter in an Indian military exercise.

This was the first time USAF F-35As have taken part in tactical training on Indian soil, moving beyond the static display they made at Aero India 2025 in Bangalore.

Six F-35A jets and more than 200 American airmen deployed to Air Force Station Jodhpur for the two-week drill, which runs from 26 September to 12 October 2026.

The TEJAS–F-35 formation flight, though brief, carried considerable symbolic and operational weight. It showcased interoperability between India’s indigenous light combat aircraft and America’s most advanced multi-role stealth fighter within a complex, multi-national battlespace.

Tarang Shakti 2026 is the IAF’s largest multilateral air exercise, bringing together more than 80 aircraft from eight air forces, including the US, France, Germany, the UAE, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. Alongside the F-35s, French Rafales, Emirati F-16s and a Bangladeshi C-130J are flying with Indian platforms such as the Su-30MKI, Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and MiG-29.

Participants are divided into REDFOR and BLUEFOR teams, receiving common briefings, planning separately, flying mixed missions and then conducting joint debriefs. Missions cover complex air-combat manoeuvres, night operations, strategic coordination and integration of airborne early warning, air-to-air refuelling and transport assets.

For the IAF, training against the F-35 in India for the first time offers invaluable exposure to fifth-generation tactics, sensor fusion and networked warfare, lessons already being factored into post–Operation Sindoor doctrine. At the same time, the exercise serves as a global showcase for India’s indigenous defence manufacturing, with foreign air chiefs and senior commanders offered familiarisation flights in the TEJAS.

The sight of a TEJAS and an F-35 sharing the same sky over Jodhpur thus encapsulates both India’s growing strategic convergence with Washington and its ambition to position the TEJAS as a credible, export-ready platform alongside the world’s premier fighters.

In strategic terms, the exercise reinforces India’s “multi-aligned” posture, deepening defence interoperability with Washington while maintaining robust ties with Paris, Abu Dhabi and regional partners. In practical terms, it gives the IAF a rare opportunity to stress-test its mixed fleet—Russian, French and Indian—against cutting-edge American stealth in a realistic, high-tempo environment.

Agencies