Jaipur, Oct 10 (IANS) Hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from September 26 to October 12, the multinational air exercise brought together air forces from seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), including Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America along with 32 observer nations. Congratulating the IAF and all organisations and personnel involved in the successful conduct of the exercise 'Tarang Shakti' at Jodhpur Air Force Station, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday welcomed the participating nations and appreciated their contribution to strengthening professional understanding and operational cooperation.

The Defence Minister noted that the presence of participating air forces had added significant value to the exercise and expressed hope that the contingents would return with valuable professional insights and a deeper understanding of India's capabilities and perspectives. He highlighted the importance of self-reliance in the defence sector, technological innovation and international partnerships in addressing the evolving challenges of modern warfare. Addressing the gathering, Rajnath Singh said that modern warfare was undergoing a profound transformation, extending beyond the traditional domains of land, sea and air to encompass space, cyber, the electromagnetic spectrum and the information domain.

He highlighted the growing influence of unmanned systems, drones, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and long-range precision weapons in shaping contemporary military operations. "Future military power will be defined less by the number of platforms we possess. It will be determined by the speed of sensing, understanding, deciding, and acting," Rajnath Singh said, underlining that speed, precision, information and integration had emerged as defining attributes of military capability. He also emphasised the need for continuous vigilance in view of the rapidly changing geopolitical environment and the uncertainties associated with technological advancements in the defence sector.

The Defence Minister said that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had recognised the importance of strengthening national resilience against emerging security challenges and had adopted 'Atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence as a national policy. He stressed that a nation must possess the capability to produce its own weapons and critical technologies to sustain itself during prolonged conflicts and periods of uncertainty. Highlighting the transformation of the Indian Defence Forces, Rajnath Singh said that the Indian Air Force had evolved from a force operating with limited resources at the time of Independence into a modern aerospace power equipped with advanced aircraft, precision weapons, sophisticated sensors, integrated networks and increasingly advanced indigenous technologies.

He emphasised that Atmanirbhar Bharat did not mean isolation from the world, but the development of domestic capabilities to design, develop, manufacture, maintain and upgrade critical defence technologies. Referring to India's growing aerospace and defence manufacturing ecosystem, the Defence Minister highlighted indigenous programmes and systems, including the Tejas fighter aircraft, helicopters such as Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand and the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), the Akash air defence system, Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars, electronic systems, and emerging unmanned and aerospace technologies.

He also referred to the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme as an important step towards mastering fifth-generation stealth fighter technology and underscored the importance of advanced aero-engine development and co-production. He said that India was keen to explore cooperation with like-minded countries in research, co-development, co-production, maintenance, training and innovation. Emphasising the growing importance of trusted partnerships and resilient supply chains, Rajnath Singh added, "The defence relationships of the future will be about technology and trust, not just about platforms."

The Defence Minister said that building strong indigenous capabilities must go hand in hand with meaningful cooperation with trusted partners. India must be capable of acting independently when required while also operating effectively with other nations when their interests and responsibilities converge, he emphasised. In this context, Rajnath Singh highlighted the significance of Exercise 'Tarang Shakti' in translating the principles of capability, technology, interoperability and trust into operational experience. The exercise provided participating air forces an opportunity to operate alongside one another, exchange operational knowledge, assess procedures and understand different platforms, doctrines and approaches to mission planning.

He noted that multinational exercises enabled aircrews and commanders to learn from one another, examine existing assumptions and identify opportunities to improve their systems and processes. Describing the spirit of the defence forces exercise, Rajnath Singh said, "Different nations. Different aircraft. Different experiences. But one sky. That is the message of Tarang Shakti." He emphasised that the value of the exercise extended beyond the sorties flown and scenarios practised, encompassing the ability to communicate, coordinate and operate effectively with partner forces. The Defence Minister called upon the Indian Air Force to incorporate the lessons of the exercise into its training, tactics, technology, doctrine and future capability development.

He expressed confidence that the participating nations would carry forward the professional relationships and mutual understanding developed during the exercise to explore new avenues of aerospace and defence cooperation. The second edition of Exercise 'Tarang Shakti' builds on the success of its inaugural edition in 2024 and reinforces India's commitment to constructive defence engagement and international cooperation. The exercise brought together diverse combat, transport, surveillance and air-to-air refuelling capabilities, providing opportunities for joint mission planning, operational learning and enhanced interoperability.

The participation of indigenous platforms, including the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand, also highlighted India's progress in indigenous aerospace design, engineering and manufacturing. The contemporary relevance of the exercise is underscored by the decisive role of air power in Operation Sindoor, which demonstrated the Indian Air Force's ability to execute precise, calibrated and effective operations in furtherance of national security objectives. The operation highlighted the importance of operational preparedness, integrated planning, credible deterrence and the effective application of air power in a complex security environment.

The experience gained from operational employment reinforces the value of multinational exercises such as 'Tarang Shakti' in advancing professional understanding and preparing for the evolving challenges of modern warfare. Beyond flying operations, the exercise featured professional engagements, industrial visits and cultural interactions, including yoga sessions, heritage visits and an International Night celebrating the traditions of participating nations. Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, other dignitaries, officials of the Ministry of Defence and participating countries attended the event.

--IANS