India, France, and the UAE conducted a major air combat exercise, “Desert Knight,” in December 2024 over the Arabian Sea.
Key Highlights
- The operation was held to enhance trilateral defence cooperation and foster better interoperability among their air forces during complex combat scenarios.
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) participated with aircraft such as Sukhoi-30MKIs and Jaguars, along with IL-78 mid-air refuellers and AEW&C (airborne early-warning and control) systems, operating from Jamnagar on India’s west coast.
- French Rafale jets and UAE’s F-16 fighters were deployed from the Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE.
- The exercise, described as a “large force engagement,” featured intensive combat manoeuvres approximately 350-400 km southwest of Karachi over the Arabian Sea.
- This trilateral exercise comes as part of broader efforts to strengthen defence ties in strategically crucial regions, including the Indo-Pacific and the Persian Gulf.
- The “Desert Knight” exercise builds on the trilateral framework established in 2022 by the foreign ministers of India, France, and the UAE.
