“Huge feather in our cap to organise exercise of such huge scale”: Chief of Air Staff on Tarang Shakti

Sulur (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 6 (ANI): As Exercise Tarang Shakti 2024 commenced on Tuesday in Tamil Nadu’s Sulur, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said that it’s a huge achievement for India to organize an exercise of such scale and Air Force and all participants have lived up to the challenge.

“It is a huge feather in our cap that we have been able to organise an exercise of such a huge scale in India. We have been carrying out bilateral exercises with many countries over the years and this is the first time we are doing a multilateral exercise of this scale. It’s a challenge and the Air Force and all participants have lived up to the challenge,” Chaudhari said.

Further, on being asked why Sulur was selected as the venue of the multilateral exercise, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said, “Complexity is a relative term. The very fact that we have six different types of IAF aircraft flying alongside the two Eurofighter Typhoons and Rafale from the visiting countries. We have also simulated an electronic warfare environment where we simulate SAGWs, radars, air-defence, and operating in some sort of network environment against multiple oppositions in every mission. The whole idea is to be able to operate without a common data link with the visiting Air Forces, that itself is a complex exercise. The main focus will be on large force engagements.”

A German Air Force A-400M transport aircraft at Indian Air Force station Palam also took part in India’s first multinational exercise Tarang Shakti being held in India at Sulur and Jodhpur in two phases.

Speaking on the event, the German Ambassador to India Dr Philipp Ackermann said that they are happy to join the Indian Air Force in its motto of ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’.

“This is the first time the German Air Force flies with the Indian Air Force in India. For us it’s the first but not the last and we will be conducting exercises in the future. We have a frigate in October coming to Goa. This shows our growing engagement in the region and our growing strategic military partnership with the Republic of India and we are proud of it,” he said.

German Air Force Chief Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz said, “I flew in today and it was great. The IAF aircraft came up and intercepted us. I am looking forward to flying this exercise.”

The exercise is being conducted in two phases, first in Tamil Nadu’s Sulur and second in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, which aim to showcase India’s defence prowess and provide a platform for participating militaries to foster coordination.