The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in the 10th edition of Exercise Desert Flag, in the UAE from April 21 to May 8, 2025.

About Exercise Desert Flag-10

• Exercise Desert Flag-10  is a multinational air combat exercise hosted by the UAE Air Force.

Key Objectives of the Exercise

• Enhance operational coordination among participating nations.
• Promote tactical exchange of air combat strategies and best practices.
• Conduct complex, real-world fighter engagements in a multinational environment.
• Improve interoperability, build mutual trust, and reinforce joint response capabilities to global security threats.

Indian Air Force Contingent

• IAF has deployed frontline aircraft:
  • MiG-29 fighters
  • Jaguar deep strike aircraft

Participating Countries: India, the United Arab Emirates (host nation), the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Strategic Significance for India

1. Defence Diplomacy:
   • Strengthens bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation with West Asian and NATO partners.
   • Follows recent high-level dialogue between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan.
2. Operational Preparedness:
   • Boosts IAF’s combat readiness, coordination skills, and response to diverse tactical scenarios.
3. India–UAE Strategic Ties:
   • Reinforces defence as a pillar of India-UAE relations, alongside trade and energy.
   • Aligned with the vision of PM Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

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