Jaipur, Sep 12 (IANS): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived at Jodhpur Air Force Station in Rajasthan on Thursday to observe the ongoing Tarang Shakti Exercise in which seven countries -- the US, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, UAE and Greece -- are participating and 16 other nations are observers.
The Defence Minister, the three Army Chiefs of India and the Chiefs of Foreign Air Forces will witness the airshow in which Suryakiran, Sarang, indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas and Sukhoi-30 will showcase their validities.
It needs to be mentioned here that the Exercise Tarang Shakti is one of the largest multinational air exercises being conducted by the Indian Air Force. The last day of the multinational air exercise 'Tarang-Shakti' is this day and the Air chiefs of eight countries are in Jodhpur to attend the closing ceremony.
In the last 12 days, Air Force personnel of India, America, Greece, UAE, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Sri Lanka took part in air-to-air and air-to-ground exercises.
Indian fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30, Tejas and helicopter Prachand performed stunts in the sky. Suryakiran's Hawk aircraft made different formations in the sky. The aircraft of other countries also flew and demonstrated their strength.
On Tuesday night, fighter jets from eight countries practised night missions. For about two hours, the roar of planes echoed across the skies of Jodhpur.
Rajnath Singh will also inaugurate the Defence Aviation Expo being organised at the Air Force station. This edition of IDAX at Jodhpur, scheduled from September 12-14 will have a grand participation from various industries and will also host a wide range of products and technologies.
This will be an opportunity for the FFCs and Indian audiences to witness, experience and interact with participants coming from the Indian Aviation Industry, including DPSUs, DRDO, Private Industries and top-notch Startups. IDAX aims to showcase indigenous skills and the indomitable spirit of Indian Aviation Industries to a wide spectrum of decision-makers and end users from Global Air Forces participating in Tarang Shakti 2024.
The exhibition will showcase weapon technologies like RF guns, high altitude satellite HAPH, air launch flexible assets, and AR VR smart glass are being displayed here. At the same time, expendable active decoy, real-time aircrew and foldable field mat are being displayed for immediate repair of the runway.
Participation of friendly foreign countries in the exposition will help India's aerospace industry seek export opportunities, integrate into the supply chain of foreign OEMs and ensure collaboration for co-production/ co-development of India's defence needs, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement