IAF’s Tarang Shakti 2026 Sees Record Over 25 Women Officers Flying in Jodhpur Exercise

Jodhpur, October 6, 2026: The Indian Air Force’s multilateral air combat exercise Tarang Shakti, currently under way in Jodhpur, has seen the largest-ever participation of women officers from the IAF in an international exercise, with more than 25 women pilots flying fighter jets and other aircraft during the two-week drill, officials familiar with the matter said.

The women officers are taking part alongside about 125 male IAF pilots. Officials said the scale of participation reflects operational capability rather than symbolism, noting that earlier international exercises typically saw only single-digit numbers of women pilots. One official said the IAF is a gender-neutral service in which roles are determined by competence and operational ability, adding: “This is not about gender; it is about skills, and the ability to deliver.”

Exercise framework

Tarang Shakti-26, the second edition of the IAF’s flagship multilateral air exercise, began on September 26 and is scheduled to run until October 12. Eight air forces are participating with aircraft and personnel: India, the United States, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A further 32 countries are represented by observers, including Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.

More than 80 Indian and foreign aircraft are involved in the exercise, along with around 1,500 personnel from the participating countries serving as aircrew, technicians and ground staff. Five airbases in Rajasthan — Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Uttarlai and Phalodi — are directly involved, while additional IAF stations in neighbouring states are supporting the drills. Separately, around 6,000 to 7,000 IAF personnel, including more than 200 women, are deployed in key non-flying roles.

Aircraft and missions

The foreign aircraft participating include F-35s, F-16s, Rafales, A400Ms, A330 multi-role tanker transports, KC-135s, C-130s and other specialised platforms. These are operating alongside the IAF’s Sukhoi-30s, Rafales, Jaguars, Mirage-2000s, MiG-29s, LCA Mk-1 Tejas, Mi-35s, Mi-17s and IL-78 flight refuelling aircraft. The United States has deployed six F-35 fifth-generation fighters to Jodhpur, the first time the type has taken part in an exercise in India. Formation flying has included US Air Force F-35s alongside the IAF’s Tejas aircraft.

The drill covers visual-range and beyond-visual-range combat, force engagements involving high-value aerial assets, air mobility operations and dynamic targeting, air-to-air refuelling, and combat search and rescue.

IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has said the exercise draws on recent operational experience, including Operation Sindoor, as well as the experience of partner air forces. “Bringing these together in a realistic training environment allows us to test assumptions, challenge procedures, understand different methods of employing air power and improve interoperability,” he said earlier.

A decade after the fighter stream opened

The current level of women’s participation comes nearly a decade after the fighter stream was opened to women. In October 2015, the government decided to admit women to the fighter stream on an experimental basis. The first three women fighter pilots — Flight Cadets Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh — were commissioned in June 2016.

Since then, women officers have expanded into instructional and front-line flying roles. In May, Squadron Leader Saanya became the first woman officer to earn the Category A Qualified Flying Instructor rating, the highest instructional qualification for an IAF pilot, allowing her to train ab initio pilots, operational pilots and other instructors. Earlier, Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh became the first woman fighter pilot to receive the Qualified Flying Instructor badge after completing the course at the Flying Instructors’ School in Tambaram. Women transport and helicopter pilots had received the badge before her.

Women have been part of the Indian military as short-service commissioned officers since the early 1990s. Today, women officers fly fighters, serve on warships, command front-line units, receive permanent commission and train at the National Defence Academy. However, combat roles in the Army’s infantry and armoured corps remain closed to women.