Tarang Shakti 2026: Rajnath Singh addresses air exercise at Jodhpur
Why in the news
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to participants of the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur on 10 October 2026.
Key facts
- Tarang Shakti 2026 is the second edition; the first was held in 2024.
- Host: Indian Air Force; duration: 26 September to 12 October 2026.
- Participants: 7 friendly foreign countries and 32 observer countries.
- CDS General N S Raja Subramani, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and Admiral Krishna Swaminathan were present.
| Category | Countries |
|---|---|
| Participants (7) | Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, UAE, USA |
| Observers | 32 countries |
Highlights of the address
- Military strength in future will rest on the speed of sensing, understanding, deciding and acting more than on how many platforms a force owns.
- Warfare now spans space, cyber, the electromagnetic spectrum and the information domain, with drones, AI and long-range precision weapons gaining importance.
- Atmanirbharta in defence is national policy, but it does not mean isolation; it means building domestic ability to design, produce, maintain and upgrade key technologies.
- He cited Tejas, Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand, LUH, the Akash air defence system and AESA radar, and called the AMCA programme a step toward fifth-generation stealth fighters.
- Future defence partnerships will be built on technology and trust.
Exam angle
- Tarang Shakti: multinational air exercise hosted by the IAF; 2026 edition at Jodhpur is the second.
- AMCA: Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, India’s fifth-generation stealth fighter programme.
- Count of participants (7) and observers (32) is a likely question.