Tarang Shakti 2026: Why India’s Multinational Air Exercise Is About More Than Aircraft When fighter aircraft from different countries share the sky, the spectacle is easy to understand. The harder work happens before take-off: agreeing on procedures, coordinating communications, planning missions and ensuring that different forces can operate safely and effectively together. That is the larger purpose of Tarang Shakti 2026, the Indian Air Force’s multinational air exercise beginning on September 26 at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Scheduled to continue until October 12, the second edition brings foreign air forces to India for complex air operations and joint training. The exercise also includes participation by observer nations. Akashvani’s announcement says eight foreign countries will participate with air assets, while 32 nations will attend as observers. For India, the exercise is an opportunity to practise operating alongside international partners, test coordination in a demanding environment and demonstrate the capabilities of its air force. For participating countries, it offers a chance to learn how other forces plan, communicate and execute missions. The significance lies not simply in how many aircraft arrive, but in what their crews and support teams can learn from working together. Who is participating? The official announcement

The Indigenous Technologies Finding Markets Beyond India From BrahMos and Akash to Pinaka and the Dhruv helicopter, India’s defence-export story is moving beyond headline missile deals. As the country targets ₹50,000 crore in annual exports by 2029, upcoming exhibitions in Chile and Vietnam will test whether Indian systems can become long-term global defence businesses. India’s defence-export story is entering a new phase. The headline number is already difficult to ignore: ₹38,424 crore in defence exports during FY2025–26, a 62.66% increase from the previous year. Indian defence products now reach more than 80 countries, while the government has set a target of ₹50,000 crore in annual defence exports by 2029. But the more interesting question is not how much India exports. It is what the world is buying—and whether those products can develop into lasting international defence relationships. That question will become particularly relevant in December, when two major Latin American and Southeast Asian defence exhibitions take place: ExpoNaval 2026 in Santiago, Chile, from December 1–3, followed by Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026 in Hanoi from December 10–13. ExpoNaval says its 2026 event will bring together companies, governments and industry experts around naval technology, shipbuilding, maritime security and unmanned systems. For

India’s defence-export story is entering a more interesting phase. The latest signal is not another overseas order for an Indian-made weapon. It is a decision to manufacture Indian-designed autonomous drone technology on European soil. Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA) has signed an industrial partnership with Portugal’s Keydef, the defence and aerospace division of Portuguese technology company SketchPixel LDA, under which Keydef will invest an initial €6 million in FWDA’s technologies and the companies will establish production capabilities in Portugal for international markets. The agreement covers FWDA’s Kaal Bhairava autonomous UAV and YAMA interceptor drone, with the proposed Portuguese operation eventually intended to extend across the company’s wider portfolio of surveillance, air-defence and civilian systems. For India, that makes this more than a manufacturing announcement. It is an experiment in whether an Indian defence startup can move from exporting products to becoming part of an international defence-technology supply chain. From Bengaluru engineering to European manufacturing FWDA describes itself as a Bengaluru-based developer of autonomous aerial and AI-enabled defence systems. Its product portfolio includes the Kaalbhairav series and YAMA, alongside other UAV and civilian applications. The company’s own product information describes the Kaalbhairav Lite as an indigenous long-endurance UAV with

India’s Naval Defence Push Heads to Paris: Why Euronaval 2026 Matters for India’s Global Ambitions Standfirst: As Indian defence exports reach a record ₹38,424 crore, Euronaval 2026 offers a useful test of whether India can move beyond selling individual systems and build lasting industrial relationships in Europe and other maritime markets. India’s defence industry is entering an important new phase: from seeking foreign technology and equipment to competing for international customers, industrial partnerships and technology relationships of its own. That shift will receive a high-profile international test in Paris from 3–6 November 2026, when Euronaval, one of the world’s major naval defence exhibitions, brings together governments, naval forces, procurement agencies, defence companies and technology firms at Paris Nord Villepinte. The organisers describe the event as a meeting point for the global naval ecosystem and say it will bring together defence ministers, ambassadors, naval chiefs, procurement authorities, coastguard officials and defence-industry representatives. For India, however, the significance is larger than an exhibition. It comes at a time when the country’s defence exports have reached an unprecedented level and when India and the European Union have formally expanded their security and defence relationship. From defence buyer to defence partner India’s transformation is

Akash Goes Global: Why India’s Air Defence System Matters Beyond Central Asia India’s Akash air-defence system has moved from an indigenous military programme to an export product with customers across the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The significance is bigger than another missile sale: it shows India beginning to compete for influence in a defence market historically shaped by Russia and increasingly contested by China, Turkey and other suppliers. For decades, the map of India’s defence relationships was relatively easy to read. Russia was central to India’s military hardware ecosystem. Western suppliers occupied important niches. Israel became a significant technology partner. And China was largely viewed as the strategic competitor rather than a market opportunity. That map is changing. India’s indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile system has now been exported to Armenia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, according to Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. Armenia was the first foreign customer and acquired multiple batteries; Singh subsequently confirmed exports to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He described Akash as one of India’s defence-sector success stories and said its production had stabilised. The geography is important. Armenia is in the South Caucasus. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are in Central Asia. That distinction matters because the development is not

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