More than 25 women officers of the Indian Air Force are flying fighters and other aircraft during India's largest multinational air exercise, marking what officials describe as the highest participation by IAF women in an international drill. The exercise, being held primarily from Jodhpur and other air bases in Rajasthan, brings together more than 80 Indian and foreign aircraft and personnel from eight air forces. It began on September 26 and will continue until October 12 under the theme “Power in Partnership”.

The participating aircraft range from India's Tejas, Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafale and Mirage-2000 to American F-35s and other foreign fighters, tankers and transport aircraft. Against that backdrop, the scale at which women pilots are taking part has become one of the most notable features of this year's exercise.

Tarang Shakti: More Than 25 Women Officers Flying in International Exercise

According to officials cited by Hindustan Times, more than 25 women officers are flying fighters and other aircraft during Tarang Shakti, alongside around 125 male IAF pilots.

Officials said earlier international exercises rarely saw the number of participating women aviators reach double digits. The current figure therefore represents a significant increase in operational participation rather than a ceremonial appearance.

The Indian Air Force has not framed the participation primarily as a gender initiative. An official quoted by Hindustan Times said operational roles are based on skill and capability, describing the service as gender-neutral in how flying tasks are assigned.

That distinction is important. The story is not simply that women have been allowed to observe a major military exercise. They are part of the flying contingent carrying out missions alongside other IAF and international aircrew.

F-35, Tejas, Sukhoi and Rafale Fly in the Same Exercise

The aircraft mix is one of the most ambitious India has assembled for a multinational air drill. The Ministry of Defence says participating foreign platforms include:

• US F-35 Lightning II fighters
• French Rafales
• F-16 fighters
• A400M transport aircraft
• A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft
• C-130 and C-130J transport aircraft
• KC-30A aerial refuelling aircraft

These are operating with Indian fighter jets and support aircraft including the Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage-2000, MiG-29 and indigenous LCA Mk-1 Tejas, along with helicopters and IL-78 aerial refuellers. One particularly notable development is the participation of six US Air Force F-35s. It is the first time the fifth-generation stealth fighter has taken part in an exercise in India. Photographs released during the drills have shown American F-35s flying alongside India's Tejas.

The presence of different generations of aircraft allows participating forces to practise operating together despite differences in sensors, weapons, communications and mission profiles.

What Missions Are the Pilots Practising?

This is not primarily an aerial display. The operational phase includes visual-range and beyond-visual-range air combat, air-to-air refuelling, dynamic targeting, air mobility missions and combat search-and-rescue scenarios. It also includes force engagements built around high-value aerial assets, requiring pilots, controllers, tankers and other platforms to coordinate within more complex simulated combat situations.

That gives the participating women pilots exposure to the same categories of operational training as their male colleagues. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the IAF vice chief, said ahead of the exercise that participating forces would bring their own operational experience into a realistic training environment and use it to test procedures and improve interoperability.

The objective is therefore not for each air force to demonstrate its aircraft independently. It is to understand how different forces can plan and execute missions together.

Seven Foreign Air Forces Are Participating

The Ministry of Defence officially identifies seven friendly foreign countries taking part with forces and aircraft:

Australia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India is the host, taking the number of participating air forces to eight.

Another 32 countries are represented by observers, according to officials cited in the latest reporting. These include countries such as Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.

Around 1,500 personnel from the participating countries are involved as aircrew, technicians and ground staff. Within India, five Rajasthan air bases — Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Uttarlai and Phalodi — are directly supporting the exercise, while additional stations in neighbouring areas are also involved.

More Than 200 IAF Women Are Also in Non-Flying Roles

The participation of women extends beyond cockpits. Officials cited by Hindustan Times estimate that around 6,000 to 7,000 IAF personnel are supporting the exercise in different capacities, including more than 200 women in key non-flying roles. That includes the technical and operational ecosystem required to keep a multinational flying exercise functioning: maintenance, air traffic operations, logistics, mission support and other ground-based responsibilities.

The flying figure attracts greater attention because combat aviation was historically one of the military roles closed to women in India.The present exercise comes almost exactly a decade  after that barrier began to change.

How Women Entered India's Fighter Stream

India approved the induction of women into the IAF fighter stream in October 2015. The Ministry of Defence said at the time that women had already served in transport and helicopter flying roles and would be given the opportunity to enter combat aviation. June 18, 2016, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh became India's first three women fighter pilots when they received their commissions at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal.

Their entry marked the beginning of a gradual expansion of women's presence in frontline aviation. Women officers have since flown operational fighters, served as instructors and participated in multinational exercises. What makes the current drill significant is the scale at which that participation is occurring.

Why the Participation Is More Than a Symbolic Milestone

The number alone is not the most significant part of the development. A military pilot taking part in a multinational exercise has to function inside complex mission planning, communications and tactical procedures involving crews from different countries. The value comes from being integrated into that operational structure. For the women pilots involved, the current drills provide experience in an environment containing some of the world's most advanced combat aircraft.

For India, it also means that women who entered the fighter stream following the 2015 policy change are increasingly becoming part of normal frontline flying activity rather than being treated as a separate experimental category. That is also why officials quoted in the latest reporting have emphasised capability over symbolism.

Why Tejas Flying With F-35 Matters

Images of the F-35 alongside Tejas have attracted considerable attention, but formation photographs are only the visible part of the exercise. The wider significance lies in interoperability. Modern air operations depend on much more than individual aircraft performance. Fighters have to coordinate with tankers, transport aircraft, ground controllers and other combat assets.

Bringing F-35s, F-16s, foreign Rafales and Indian fighter jets into a single exercise gives crews opportunities to compare operating procedures and practise coordinating across different systems. The presence of the indigenous Tejas is particularly notable because it places an Indian-developed combat aircraft inside a training environment involving platforms from several major aerospace powers.

Exercise Continues Until October 12

The exercise is still in progress, meaning the participation figures and operational activities should not yet be described as a final post-exercise assessment. The Ministry of Defence says Tarang Shakti will continue through October 12. The current operational phase follows the opening ceremony held on September 26 and is designed around increasingly complex multinational missions.

More activities may therefore be announced before the exercise formally concludes. What is already clear is that the 2026 edition has combined three significant developments: the first exercise participation in India by US F-35 fighters, a multinational fleet of more than 80 aircraft, and record reported participation by IAF women officers in flying roles.

A decade after India's first three women entered the fighter stream, more than 25 women officers are now flying within one of the largest international air exercises hosted by the country.

That shift—from three pioneering officers in 2016 to women routinely operating alongside international crews in 2026—is the more significant story behind the headline number.