Rafales “locked” for the long trip to India: the PA in the multinational exercise “Tarang Shakti 24”

*By Kostas Sarikas

Rafale fighter jets from the 332 Fighter Squadron ‘Hawk’ will be the aircraft making the long journey to India to take part in the major multinational exercise ‘Tarang Shakti 24’.

The participation of the Air Force was decided after contacts of the Air Staff with the Indian Air Force and “locked down” during the recent visit to India by the Chief of the General Directorate of Defense and Security, General Dimitrios Houpis. It is part of the wider military cooperation between the Greek and Indian Armed Forces, which comes as a continuation of the excellent relations between Athens and Delhi at the political level, as was also sealed during the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to India last February.

For the Greek Rafale, the long journey of about 3,000 km from 114 Fighter Wing to Jodhpur Air Base in Rajasthan province in northwest Indiarelatively close to the border with Pakistan, as Onalert.gr had revealedwill be the second mission outside of Greece after their recent participation in the multinational exercise “VOLFA 24“, which took place in France.

The Air Force’s choice of the Rafale appears to have been a one-way street as the Indian Air Force has the same type of fighter and can support the HAF’s aircraft, while in ‘Tarang Shakti 24’ (Wave of Power) the French are also expected to participate with Rafale. Already the Air Staff is in contact with the Armee D’el Air in this regard the fighters of the two states to fly simultaneously to India. After all, the French also have flying tankers, which can refuel HAF fighters in the air, if it is ultimately decided not to land at an intermediate airport.

The Indians, despite the great distance that separates the two countries, show a strong desire for wider military cooperation with Greece. After all, the reputation of HAF, which is among the leading airlines in the West, is well known in New Delhi. The Air Force was among the first to accept an invitation from the Indian AirForce in order to participate in the largest multinational air exercise organized by the country, in which a total of 52 countries will participate either by air or by observers including the US, France, Italy and Germany.

According to information, the possibility of USAF participation with F-35 fighters is open. The Americans show a strong desire to approach India of 1.5 billion people, now the most populous country in the world, to distance it from Russian influence and bring it closer to the West, as an awe-inspiring rival to China. In 2023 they had first sent F-35s to India during the ‘AERO INDIA’ exercise. While, have already proposed co-production in India of the F-21 fighter (the Indian F-16) with joint participation in the program of the American Lockheed Martin and the Indian TATA.

‘Tarang Shakti’ is scheduled to be held next August aiming to bring together the cream of the world’s air forces. The participation of our Air Force with the Rafale will confirm the extroversion of the HAF but also of the Greek Armed Forces in general, which are spreading their wings outside the narrow limits of the Eastern Mediterranean.

It was preceded by the participation for the first time of the Indian Air Force in the large multinational exercise “INIOCHOS 23”, which took place at the end of last April focusing on Andravida. The imposing Indian Su-30MK fighters landed at the 117 Fighter Wing and stole the show with their impressive presence. It was one of the Indian Air Force’s few fighter presences outside India, as until then they had only participated in the American Red Flag and exercises organized by France and Great Britain.