New Delhi: The French Air and Space Force arrived in Jodhpur on 25 September to take part in the second edition of the Indian Air Force-led multinational air combat exercise Tarang Shakti, as part of France’s long-range Mission PÉGASE 26. This participation aims to enhance military cooperation and interoperability between the two forces, the French embassy said Friday.
This deployment is part of Mission PÉGASE 26, France’s seventh long-range air projection exercise, running from 8 September to 15 October. The mission aims to showcase the core capabilities of rapidly projecting long-range air power anywhere in the world and to “defend France’s overseas territories or strategic interests”, it said in a statement.
During this period, the French Air Force will participate in Tarang Shakti from 28 September to 12 October, following their first participation in 2024.
The seventh edition of Mission PÉGASE is deploying a 300-strong aircrew and four Rafale F4s, three A330 MRTT Phénix aircraft and two A400M Atlas aircraft. Starting from the Arctic, the mission will cover a unique route of 40,000 km with nine stopovers, flying to the Near and Middle East, via the Pacific, East Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Lieutenant General Dominique Tardif, vice chief of the French Air and Space Force, and Major General Julien Sabéné, head of Mission Pégase, will also visit India to hold discussions with Indian armed forces.
“India is a close strategic defence partner of France,” French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou said.
Mathou said regular participation in bilateral exercises such as Varuna, Garuda and Shakti, along with multinational exercises such as Tarang Shakti, would strengthen Indo-French operational coordination and military interoperability.
He also added that France’s participation in Tarang Shakti shows the two countries’ shared commitment to ensuring regional and global security and upholding international law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.
This mission also aims to demonstrate the core capabilities of the force. France also plans on strengthening its strategic partnerships with Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
Mission PÉGASE 26 embodies France’s ability to maintain a decisive military response across a vast strategic arc.
(Edited by Harini TS)
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