US F-35 Stealth Fighters Land In India For First Time, Set For Tarang Shakti Debut

Six United States F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and more than 200 American airmen have arrived in India ahead of their first-ever participation in Exercise Tarang Shakti, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Saturday.

In a post on X, Gor said he was "excited" to see the US' premier fifth-generation fighters make their debut at the multilateral air exercise. "American airpower has arrived in Jodhpur! Six F-35 Lightning IIs and 200 Airmen are now in India for their first-ever participation in Exercise Tarang Shakti. Excited to see America's premier fifth-generation fighters make its Tarang Shakti debut, flying alongside the @IAF_MCC and partners," he posted. Gor also shared photographs of the aircraft.

The Indian Air Force had said on Tuesday that seven foreign countries will take part in the second edition of the exercise, to be held at Jodhpur Air Force Station from September 26 to October 12. The participating nations are the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

India will field a range of its own air assets during the exercise, including the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI. The IAF has said the exercise is intended to demonstrate the country's defence capabilities and to provide a platform for fostering interoperability among participating air forces.

Tarang Shakti is India's largest multilateral air exercise. Its first edition was held in 2024, bringing together air forces from a number of partner countries. The second edition will expand the list of participants and, for the first time, include American fifth-generation combat aircraft.

The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth multirole fighter manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It is operated by the United States and several of its allies, and is among the most advanced combat aircraft currently in service. The aircraft is rarely deployed for exercises outside the countries that operate it, which makes its appearance in India notable.

The arrival of the jets in Jodhpur reflects the widening scope of India-US defence cooperation. The two countries are designated major defence partners and conduct a regular calendar of joint exercises across the services, including the Malabar naval exercise, the Yudh Abhyas army exercise and the Cope India air exercise. These drills typically focus on operating together — sharing procedures, communications and logistics — rather than on any specific contingency.

For the Indian Air Force, the exercise offers an opportunity to fly alongside a fifth-generation platform. India currently operates a mix of Russian-origin and Western aircraft, and is developing its own fifth-generation fighter programme. Interaction with advanced foreign aircraft during multilateral exercises is one way air forces study operating practices and assess how different systems can work together.

The IAF has described interoperability as a central aim of Tarang Shakti, which will also involve transport aircraft, helicopters and other support elements across the nearly three-week schedule at Jodhpur.

All participating contingents are expected to arrive at the air force station ahead of the opening day on September 26, with the exercise concluding on October 12.