The Indian Air Force successfully concluded its participation in two international flight exercises, Exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Australia and Exercise Udara Shakti 2026 in Malaysia. The dual-nation deployments enabled seamless tactical integration, cross-learning, and enhanced interoperability among coalition partners.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully concluded its participation in two pivotal international flight engagements: Exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Australia and Exercise Udara Shakti 2026 in Malaysia. During the former, hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), IAF deployed its frontline Rafale aircraft to operate alongside Air Forces from over 20 participating nations.
Executing complex Large Force Employment (LFE) missions in a high-threat, multi-domain environment, the exercise enabled seamless tactical integration, cross-learning, and enhanced interoperability among coalition partners. The IAF's participation in these exercises underscored its operational reach and commitment to strengthening strategic defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region.
Following the operations in Australia, the IAF contingent deployed directly to Subang, Malaysia, for Exercise Udara Shakti 2026. Here, IAF aircrew executed high-intensity combat sorties and joint tactical maneuvers alongside the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), flying with and against Su-30MKM and F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. The bilateral engagement focused on refining air combat tactics, subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE), and optimizing combined operational flexibility.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
