French Air and Space Force to take part in Tarang Shakti exercise in Tamil Nadu

A contingent from the French Air and Space Force will participate in India’s first multilateral air exercise, Tarang Shakti-2024, which is set to begin at Air Force Station Sulur in Tamil Nadu on August 6.

The French contingent will comprise three Rafale fighter jets, one Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, and one A400M, with a total of 160 Air Force personnel, according to French Embassy in India press release.

In the press release, the French Embassy in India stated, “Three other nations are participating in the first phase of this exercise, including EU Member States Germany and Spain, which have been partners of the Pacific Skies deployment from Alaska to India.”

The French contingent’s participation forms part of its two-month long mission across the Indo-Pacific region, which started in France at the end of June and will conclude on August 15, according to the French Embassy in India press release.

The French Embassy in India further stated, “The mission’s goals are to demonstrate France’s ability to protect its sovereignty as a resident nation of the Indo-Pacific with several territories in the region, promote the rule of law and multilateralism in this zone, and enhance interoperability with key partners like India. By the end of its mission, the PEGASE 24 will have made stopovers in 13 partner nations and taken part in three major exercises throughout this period, including Tarang Shakti.”

The French Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, called India a “trusted strategic partner” for France and said that France is proud to participate in India’s first multilateral air exercise.

Mathou said, “As India’s trusted strategic partner, France is proud to participate in India’s first-ever multilateral air exercise and contribute to making it a success. Our contingent joins India as part of an extended deployment in the Indo-Pacific, which reflects France’s commitment as a resident power of the region.”

“I also wish to highlight the European dimension of Tarang Shakti with EU Member States Germany and Spain participating, too. France is a strong supporter of Europe’s role as an active stakeholder of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” he added.

To mark the conclusion to Tarang Shakti and France’s PEGASE 24 deployment, France’s Chief of Air Staff, General Stephane Mille, will arrive in India for an official visit from August 12-14. General Mille will attend the closing ceremony of the exercise at AFS Sulur, meet his counterpart and key officials in Delhi, and speak at the National Defence College.

The French Embassy in India stated, “Military cooperation between France and India has been particularly intense since the beginning of 2024. A major joint army exercise, SHAKTI, took place in Meghalaya in May, the French Navy took part in the ‘Milan’ multinational exercise in February in the Bay of Bengal, and the first-ever India-France-UAE air trilateral exercise was held in January off the coast of Mumbai.”

“CDS General Anil Chauhan made his first official visit to France in April, while the French chiefs of Army Staff and Naval Staff visited India. The French and Indian navies, too, are gearing up for their bilateral VARUNA drills, slated later in the year,” it added.

The armed forces of France and India maintain an intense schedule of exercises that go back decades and illustrate the trust underpinning the France-India strategic partnership. These include the VARUNA Navy exercises (dating back to 1983), GARUDA Air exercises, and SHAKTI Army exercises.

France and India have also participated in each other’s multilateral exercises, like the France-led La Perouse naval drill in 2022 and the ORION mega-exercise in 2023.

In January this year, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi “expressed satisfaction with the increasing complexity and interoperability of India-France joint defence exercises across air, sea and land and agreed to consider a distinct joint tri-services exercise.”