Exercise Vayu Shakti 2026 is scheduled for 27 February at Pokhran, Rajasthan. With participation from more than 100 aircraft, the Indian Air Force will showcase its operational readiness and firepower capabilities.@IAF_MCC #VayuShakti2026 #IndianAirForce #AirPower… pic.twitter.com/alRXcjnlp1
— DD India (@DDIndialive) February 11, 2026
On Friday, 27 February, the Pokhran Field Firing Range (PFFR) will host Exercise 'Vayu Shakti' by the Indian Air Force (IAF), which will highlight the "successful role" of the force during Operation Sindoor. Fighter aircraft, including the Rafale, Su-30, MiG-29, Tejas, and Jaguar, will be part of the exercise at the PFFR, which is situated in the Thar Desert near Jaisalmer.
Apart from the fighter jets, more than 120 assets, including helicopters and transport aircraft, will be part of the exercise, the IAF reportedly said. The ALH, Mirage-2000, Apache choppers, and LCH Prachand were named among other notable presences.
For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India
India's most modern weapon systems, such as Short-Range Loitering Munitions, Akash missiles, SpyDer, and Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems, will be featured in the exercise, carrying out day, dusk, and night missions. While the IAF's long-distance strike capabilities were central to forcing Islamabad to plead for a ceasefire, such operations utilising BrahMos, SCALP, and other missiles will not be on display for obvious reasons.
The biennial demonstration this time "assumes (a) different connotation" as it is taking place after last year's Operation Sindoor, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Air Marshal Kapoor said that the message from Operation Sindoor was clear: that terrorism will not be tolerated, and every act of terror carried out on India's soil will be responded to appropriately, making the perpetrators pay dearly for their actions.
ALSO READ:
- Apex defence procurement panel clears buying of 114 Rafale fighters, 6 Poseidon P-8I aircraft
- IAF’s Brahmos-Storm Shadow strike combo: India to buy at least 100 more SCALP missiles for Rafale jets, says report
- How formidable are Gripen E fighter jets? 5 things to know as Saab makes production pitch to IAF
India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May last year to destroy terror infrastructure at nine places in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.
Asked if the demonstration taking place not far from the western border will carry any strategic messaging to Pakistan, he reportedly told the news agency: "We will do our demonstration. What message will go out to anyone? It is up to you to decide."
