The Indian Air Force (IAF) has arrived in France for Garuda-25, the latest edition of the long-running bilateral air exercise with the French Air and Space Force (FASF).
The deployment underscores the growing tempo of India’s international defence engagements and marks another significant step in the IAF’s deepening cooperation with major air powers.
What is planned during Exercise Garuda-25?
Garuda-25, hosted in France this year, brings together frontline aircraft, aircrew, and support teams from both nations for high-intensity air combat training.
The exercise focuses on advanced aerial tactics, complex mission planning, and interoperability, skills that are central to modern air warfare. For India, the drills also serve as a proving ground for its combat aircraft, systems, and operational doctrines in a multinational environment.
How is IAF’s global partnership footprint expanding?
This edition of Garuda comes at a moment when the IAF is actively expanding its partnerships around the world.
In recent months, the force has participated in several high-profile engagements with the United States Air Force (USAF), including joint exercises that featured advanced fighters, heavy-lift aircraft, and integrated air-defence scenarios.
These interactions reflect New Delhi’s broader strategic drive to strengthen defence cooperation with friendly nations while enhancing the operational readiness of its own forces.
How have India-France air force ties grown?
The France-India air relationship, anchored by decades of strategic trust, has grown steadily through defence sales, technology collaboration, and combined exercises.
The IAF’s fleet of Rafale fighters, a cornerstone of India’s air deterrence, symbolises this partnership. Exercises like Garuda-25 provide an opportunity for Rafale operators from both sides to share experiences, refine tactics, and push the limits of the platform in realistic combat settings.
What is the exercise’s wider role in defence diplomacy?
Beyond technical gains, Garuda-25 plays a wider role in India’s defence diplomacy. As the Indo-Pacific becomes a more contested strategic space, New Delhi’s ability to work seamlessly with capable air forces strengthens regional stability and amplifies India’s security presence.
Large-scale deployments for international exercises also showcase the IAF’s logistics capability, expeditionary reach, and professional competence.
What does this exercise mean to India and France?
For France, hosting Garuda-25 reaffirms its commitment to a strong Indo-Pacific posture and highlights the importance of its strategic ties with India, one of Europe’s closest defence partners.
With both nations aligned on maintaining a free, open, and rules-based order, the exercise adds depth to an already robust partnership.
As Garuda-25 begins, the IAF’s presence in France stands as a reminder of India’s growing global profile and its determination to build a future-ready air force through cooperation, training, and sustained international engagement.