New Delhi: French Rafale fighters, refuelling tankers and transport aircraft taking part in the French Air and Space Force's long-range Mission Pégase have touched down in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, ahead of their participation in the multinational air combat exercise Tarang Shakti, hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Mission Pégase, now in its seventh edition since it was first launched in 2018, is a long-range air projection exercise running from September 8 to October 15. It is designed to showcase the French air force’s capacity to project air power rapidly over long distances anywhere in the world, and to defend France's overseas territories and strategic interests.
The current deployment involves a 300-strong contingent of aircrew, along with four Rafale F4 fighter jets, three A330 MRTT Phénix refuelling and transport aircraft, and two A400M Atlas heavy-lift transporters.
The mission’s route began in the Arctic and spans 40,000 kilometres with nine stopovers, taking the formation through the Near and Middle East, the Pacific, East Asia and the Indian Ocean before reaching India.
Alongside demonstrating France’s global reach, the mission is also aimed at deepening aerospace cooperation with strategic partners including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
France has said the exercise reaffirms its commitment to supporting freedom of access to shared airspace and to collective security in the regions it passes through.
This marks the second time French forces have taken part in Tarang Shakti, having first joined the exercise in 2024.
The Jodhpur leg of the exercise will run from September 28 to October 12, and is intended to strengthen military cooperation and interoperability between the Indian and French air forces.
Two senior French officers are expected to visit India during the exercise for discussions with Indian armed forces authorities: Lt Gen Dominique Tardif, Vice Chief of the French Air and Space Force, and Maj Gen Julien Sabéné, who is leading Mission Pégase.
The French ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, described India as a core strategic defence partner for France. He said regular participation in bilateral exercises such as Varuna at sea, Garuda in the air and Shakti on land, together with multinational exercises like Tarang Shakti, was helping build greater operational coordination and military interoperability between the two countries.
He added that France's involvement reflected a shared commitment to regional and global security, and to upholding international law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, where France holds resident-power status.
French officials have described the current mission as reflecting the country's ability to sustain a military presence across a wide strategic arc, calling it a tool of French political and diplomatic engagement amid a volatile global security environment.
