Raksha Mantri Addresses Participants of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Jodhpur, Emphasises Self-Reliance in Defence and International Cooperation

1. At a Glance

• Exercise Tarang Shakti is a multinational air exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The 2026 edition is the second [1].
• On 10 Oct 2026, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed participants at Air Force Station Jodhpur. He linked Atmanirbharta in defence with international partnerships [1].
• Why it matters for UPSC: it brings together GS-III (defence technology, indigenisation, security) and GS-II (defence diplomacy, India's role as a partner of choice). It also yields very drillable Prelims facts (host, venue, participants, systems named) [1].

2. Why in the News

• Second edition of Tarang Shakti held 26 Sep – 12 Oct 2026, hosted by the IAF at AF Station Jodhpur [1].
• RM's address on 10 Oct 2026: he said "Future military power will be defined less by the number of platforms we possess. It will be determined by the speed of sensing, understanding, deciding, and acting" [1].
• Participants: 7 Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs): Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, UAE, USA. 32 observer nations also attended [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• The 2026 edition is officially described as the "second edition", which means an earlier first edition existed [1]. (Details of the first edition could not be cited from allowed sources. Verify them separately.)
• How the IAF has changed (RM's framing): from "a force operating with limited resources at the time of Independence" to "a modern aerospace power". It now has advanced aircraft, precision weapons, sophisticated sensors, integrated networks and indigenous technologies [1].
• Policy anchor: the Government has adopted Atmanirbharta in defence as a national policy under PM Narendra Modi [1].

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical / Strategic

• The participant list spans Quad partners (Australia, USA), European powers (France, Germany), neighbours (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and a Gulf partner (UAE) [1]. This fits multi-alignment and the Neighbourhood First approach.
• 32 observer nations make Jodhpur a showcase for India's defence diplomacy and capabilities [1].
• RM's doctrine: India must be "capable of acting independently when required while also operating effectively with other nations when their interests and responsibilities converge" [1]. This is strategic autonomy in operational terms.
• RM said "Different nations. Different aircraft. Different experiences. But one sky." [1]. The point is that interoperability goes beyond the sorties themselves.

Scientific / Technological

• The determinants of military power are shifting to unmanned systems, drones, AI, electronic warfare and long-range precision weapons [1].
• Speed, precision, information and integration are now the defining attributes of military capability [1].
• AMCA and aero-engine co-production are named as the frontier for indigenisation [1].

Economic (Defence-industrial)

• RM defined Atmanirbharta as the domestic capability to "design, develop, manufacture, maintain and upgrade" critical technologies [1]. That covers the whole life-cycle, not just assembly.
• Resilient supply chains and trusted partnerships are framed as essential to sustain a nation in "prolonged conflicts" [1].

Ethical / Governance (Policy framing)

• "Atmanirbhar Bharat did not mean isolation from the world" [1]. Self-reliance is presented as compatible with cooperation, which counters the "protectionism" critique.
• "The defence relationships of the future will be about technology and trust, not just about platforms" [1]. The emphasis moves from buyer–seller ties to co-development partnerships.

Administrative / Military-institutional

• RM directed the IAF to fold the lessons into training, tactics, technology, doctrine and future capability development [1].
• Multinational exercises let crews "examine existing assumptions" and compare doctrines and mission-planning approaches [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 26 Sep 2026: Tarang Shakti 2026 begins at AF Station Jodhpur [1].
• 10 Oct 2026: RM Rajnath Singh addresses participants and stresses self-reliance plus international cooperation [1].
• 12 Oct 2026: scheduled conclusion of the exercise [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Tarang Shakti is a multinational air exercise hosted by the IAF [1].
• 2026 = second edition of Tarang Shakti [1].
• 2026 venue: Air Force Station Jodhpur [1].
• Dates: 26 Sep – 12 Oct 2026 [1].
• Seven FFCs took part: Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, UAE, USA [1].
• 32 nations attended as observers [1].
• Of India's immediate neighbours, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were the participating FFCs [1].
• AMCA = India's programme towards fifth-generation stealth fighter technology [1].
• Akash = indigenous air-defence system [1].
• Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand, LUH = indigenous helicopters [1].
• LUH = Light Utility Helicopter [1].
• Domains of modern warfare named by RM beyond land, sea and air: space, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, information [1].
• Atmanirbharta in defence was adopted as national policy [1].

8. The Speech Talks of Future Power, but the Squadron Count Is Short Today

• The IAF has fewer fighter squadrons than it is allowed to have
• A squadron is a unit of about 20 fighter aircraft [2].
• The IAF is allowed 42 squadrons. This is called its authorised strength. In December 2024 it had only 31 [2].

• That is 11 squadrons short, or roughly 220 fighters missing from the planned force.

• Parliament's own committee has put a number on the gap

• The Standing Committee on Defence (2024) said the IAF needs at least 180 fighter aircraft under present conditions [2].

• It also found a shortage of about 130 trainer aircraft. Pilots learn to fly on these before they move to fighters [2].

• New Indian jets will arrive slowly

• The contract for 97 more Tejas Mk1A was signed on 25 Sep 2025. It is worth over ₹62,370 crore [3].
• Deliveries begin only in 2027-28 and will take six years [3].

• So the gap is closing slowly, while older fighters keep retiring.

• Why this matters for the RM's argument

• The RM said future power depends less on the number of platforms and more on speed of sensing and deciding [1].
• That is true for future wars. But sensors, AI and networks still need enough aircraft to carry them.
• A Mains answer should say both things: the doctrine is right, but numbers still matter today.

9. Self-Reliant Jets Still Fly on American Engines

• The engine is the one part India still cannot make for its fighters
• The RM himself named advanced aero-engine development as a critical gap [1].
• On 7 Nov 2025, HAL signed with General Electric (USA) for 113 F404-GE-IN20 engines and a support package. These are for the 97 Tejas Mk1A [4].

• These engines will be delivered from 2027 to 2032 [4].

• How this limits self-reliance

• An aircraft cannot be handed over without its engine. So a foreign company's delivery schedule decides how fast the IAF gets its "indigenous" jets.

• The aircraft schedule (from 2027-28, over six years) [3] closely follows the engine schedule (2027–2032) [4].

• This tests the RM's own definition

• He defined Atmanirbharta as the ability to "design, develop, manufacture, maintain and upgrade" critical technology at home [1].
• By that test, Tejas is self-reliant in airframe and many systems, but not in its engine.
• That is why the AMCA (India's planned fifth-generation stealth fighter) will be self-reliant only if India also solves the engine [1].

10. Who Pays for Self-Reliance: Pensions vs New Weapons

• Most of the defence budget goes to people, not equipment
• Salary and pension together are about 44% of defence spending in 2026-27 [2].

• Defence pensions grew about 20% a year since 2000-01. They rose from ₹10,539 crore to ₹1,71,338 crore in 2026-27 [2].

• So little is left for capital outlay

• Capital outlay means money spent on new weapons, aircraft and long-term assets.
• It averaged 27% of defence spending from 2014-15 to 2025-26. The recommended share is 40% [2].

• In 2026-27 it is 29% [2]. It is rising, but it is still far below 40%.

• Why this hits indigenisation hardest

• Building a jet engine or a fifth-generation fighter takes many years of steady funding before any aircraft is delivered.

• When the budget is tight, buying ready-made equipment is quicker, so long research programmes are easier to delay.

• Total spending is also below what Parliament asked for

• The defence budget is 2.0% of GDP in 2026-27 [2].
• Without pensions, it is only 1.6% of GDP. The Standing Committee recommended 3% [2].

11. Does 'Co-Production' Build Self-Reliance or Hide Dependence?

• The strongest objection
• Critics say "co-development" and "co-production" often mean India builds a foreign design under licence. Licence means permission to make it, without owning the design.
• India then still needs the foreign partner for upgrades, spares and key parts.

• The Tejas engine case supports this worry. The airframe is Indian, but the engine supply decides the delivery pace [4].

• What is right about the objection

• Making something in India is not the same as owning its design.
• If the partner's government blocks a part during a crisis, a licensed product cannot be fully used.

• The RM himself said resilient supply chains matter most in "prolonged conflicts" [1]. In a long war this risk is real.

• Why the RM's position still holds

• No country builds every defence technology alone. Even large powers buy key parts from partners.
• The RM's own test is the answer. He listed design and upgrading as part of self-reliance, not only manufacturing [1].

• So co-production counts as self-reliance only when India gets design ownership, not just an assembly line.

• How to use this in Mains

• Do not write "partnership versus self-reliance". Write that partnership helps self-reliance only if design knowledge comes to India.

12. What the Ministry and Parliament Should Do Next

• Ministry of Defence: move capital spending towards the 40% mark
• The 40% capital share is the recommended level. The ten-year average is only 27% [2].

• A planned yearly rise towards 40% would give AMCA and engine projects steady money.

• Government: bring spending closer to the Standing Committee's 3% of GDP

• Without pensions, India spends 1.6% of GDP on defence [2].

• The committee asked for 3%, so new weapons are not squeezed out by salaries and pensions [2].

• MoD and IAF: treat the engine as a top priority

• The RM himself named aero-engine development and co-production as the gap [1].

• Any engine partnership should be judged by the RM's own test: can India design and upgrade the engine later, not just assemble it [1].

• HAL: deliver the 97 Tejas Mk1A on time

• The Standing Committee said the IAF needs at least 180 fighters [2].
• A third Tejas Mk1A production line was opened at Nashik on 17 Oct 2025 [4]. The next test is whether output actually meets the 2027-28 to 2033 schedule [3].

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: IAF has 31 fighter squadrons against an authorised 42 (Dec 2024); each squadron is about 20 aircraft [2]
• Data: Capital outlay is 29% of the defence budget in 2026-27, against a recommended 40%; salary + pension take 44% [2]
• Data: Defence budget is 2.0% of GDP, or 1.6% without pensions (2026-27) [2]
• Data: 113 GE F404-GE-IN20 engines for Tejas Mk1A, delivered 2027–2032 (agreement of 7 Nov 2025) [4]
• Report/Committee: Standing Committee on Defence (2024): IAF needs at least 180 fighter aircraft; recommended defence spending of 3% of GDP [2]
• Scheme: Contract for 97 LCA Tejas Mk1A, worth over ₹62,370 crore (25 Sep 2025), shows the indigenous-platform push and how slowly deliveries come [3]

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Security challenges and their management; Science & Technology developments (indigenisation of technology); Defence technology.
• GS-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India; effect of other countries' policies on India's interests.
• Possible question stems: 1. "Atmanirbharta in defence does not mean isolation." Examine this in light of India's push for co-development and co-production with trusted partners. (15 marks) 2. Modern warfare is moving beyond land, sea and air to space, cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum. Discuss what this means for India's force structure and indigenisation priorities. (15 marks) 3. How do multinational military exercises such as Tarang Shakti serve India's defence diplomacy and strategic autonomy? (10 marks)

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• AMCA programme: the fifth-generation stealth fighter flagged by RM.
• Indigenous aero-engine development: the critical gap RM explicitly named.
• Defence Acquisition Procedure and positive indigenisation lists: the policy tools behind Atmanirbharta.
• Tejas and LCH Prachand programmes: examples of indigenous platforms often asked in Prelims.
• Multi-domain operations and theatre commands: the integration theme of the speech.
• Other IAF bilateral and multilateral exercises (e.g., Garuda with France, Red Flag in the USA): Prelims questions often ask you to match an exercise with a partner country.
• India's defence exports and defence diplomacy: the "technology and trust" partnership model.

16. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Self-reliance (Economy): Atmanirbharta in defence is the speech's core theme: making critical defence technology at home to reduce foreign dependence.
• Protectionism (Economy): The Raksha Mantri said self-reliance is not isolation; this concept explains the protectionism critique he answers.
• Standing committee (Polity): The note cites the Standing Committee on Defence's figures on fighter shortfalls and the 3% of GDP spending recommendation.
• Demand for grants (Economy): The defence budget analysis (capital outlay, pensions, salaries) comes from the Demand for Grants, which Parliament votes on.
• Pension (Economy): Defence pensions take a large share of the budget, leaving less for new weapons and indigenisation.
• Electromagnetic spectrum (Geography): The speech names the electromagnetic spectrum as a new warfare domain, alongside space, cyber and information.

17. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Participants vs observers: 7 countries participated with forces; 32 were observers. Don't add the two figures together [1].
• Which edition: 2026 is the 2nd edition, not the first [1].
• Host service: Tarang Shakti is IAF-hosted. It is not a tri-service or naval exercise [1].
• Country list: check the 2026 line-up against the PIB release. Pre-exercise media reports also listed Greece, but the PIB release names only seven countries [1].
• Helicopter names: Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand and LUH are all helicopters, while Akash is an air-defence system. Don't mix up the categories [1].