6 US F-35 Fighter Jets Arrive In India, To Debut 'Tarang Shakti'

Six US F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and more than 200 airmen have arrived in India for 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 pictures of the US multi-role stealth fighter jets.

Seven foreign countries will participate in the second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur Air Force Station from September 26 to October 12, with the US F-35s taking part in the multilateral air exercise for the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Tuesday.

The participating countries are the US, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UAE.

India will showcase Rafale, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI, among other air assets, during the exercise, which aims to demonstrate the country's defence capabilities and provide a platform to foster interoperability, the IAF had said.

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