Bangladesh Air Force takes part in multinational exercise in India
Bangladesh Air Force Joins Major Multinational Drill in India
Bdbusinessdaily.com – Bangladesh Air Force personnel have taken part in Tarang Shakti-26, a large multinational air exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
The second edition of the exercise ran from 26 September to 12 October and brought together aircraft, crews and support teams from Bangladesh, India, Australia, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Representatives from 32 additional countries attended as observers.
Bangladesh sent a 19-member contingent, including pilots and technicians, while two more members of the force joined the event in an observer capacity. The deployment represented Bangladesh’s first participation in a multinational air exercise of this scale.
Training in complex air operations
Tarang Shakti-26 was designed to expose participating forces to increasingly demanding operational scenarios. The programme began with Small Force Engagements, involving more limited formations, before moving into Large Force Engagements that placed much larger groups of aircraft in coordinated missions.
At its peak, the exercise involved as many as 40 aircraft operating at the same time in a connected operational environment. Such drills require air crews, planners, ground personnel and command teams to work through rapidly changing situations while coordinating with partners using different equipment, procedures and operational experience.
The missions simulated contested airspace, including threats linked to Beyond Visual Range operations and Long-Range Air Defence systems. Beyond Visual Range scenarios involve engagements beyond a pilot’s visual sight, placing greater importance on radar, communications, identification procedures and coordinated decision-making. Long-range air-defence threats add another layer of complexity by requiring aircraft to plan routes and mission timing carefully.
For Bangladesh Air Force members, the exercise offered practical exposure to a setting where several international air forces were participating at once. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said the event created opportunities for professional interaction, shared learning and stronger interoperability among the participating forces.
A step beyond bilateral exercises
The Bangladesh Air Force has previously joined bilateral training activities with the United States, including the Cope South and Thunder Lightning exercises. Those engagements have provided opportunities to train with an international partner, but Tarang Shakti-26 presented a different operational setting because it involved multiple countries working together during the same exercise.
Multinational exercises can help participating personnel understand how air forces coordinate planning, communications and mission execution across national boundaries. They also give technical specialists and pilots a chance to exchange professional experience with counterparts facing similar operational demands.
The participation did not only centre on flying missions. The programme also included cultural and sporting activities, introductions to yoga, and opportunities for visiting personnel to learn more about India’s defence industry.
Regional engagement and professional exchange
Air exercises of this kind are often built around more than aircraft operations. They bring together pilots, engineers, technicians, planners and support staff whose work is essential to any air mission. For a visiting contingent, interaction with these specialists can be as valuable as time spent in formal exercise scenarios.
Bangladesh’s involvement in Tarang Shakti-26 also placed its personnel alongside forces from Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. The range of participants reflected the exercise’s multinational character and gave the Bangladesh contingent exposure to a broad professional environment.
Training events that move from smaller engagements to larger missions allow participating teams to build familiarity gradually. Early phases can focus on procedures and communication, while larger formations test the ability to coordinate complex missions involving many aircraft and multiple support elements.
For the Bangladesh Air Force, the Jodhpur exercise marked an opportunity to observe and participate in that progression within a large international setting. The involvement of both operational personnel and observers ensured that the experience extended beyond the flying component to include wider lessons in coordination, planning and air-force cooperation.
Tarang Shakti-26 concluded on 12 October after more than two weeks of activities, leaving Bangladesh’s contingent with experience from its first multinational air exercise of such breadth.
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