Indian Air Force (IAF) Joins Multinational 'Desert Flag-10' Exercise in UAE.

In April 2025, a frontline contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to take part in 'Exercise Desert Flag-10', a prestigious multinational air combat exercise organized by the UAE Air Force. The exercise is scheduled to take place from April 21 to May 8, 2025.

      - Desert Flag is an annual multinational large-force employment warfare exercise hosted by the UAE Air Force, with its inaugural edition held in 2011. The Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in the exercise for the first time in 2021.

      - Exercise Desert Flag-10, the 10th edition of this premier multinational aerial warfare exercise, is designed to enhance operational capabilities, interoperability, and strategic cooperation among participating nations. The 2025 edition includes air forces from 12 countries: India, Australia, Bahrain, France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), and the host nation UAE.

      - This exercise aims to foster better coordination and joint operations, allowing air forces from diverse nations to refine their combat techniques and share valuable insights, strengthening global defense partnerships.

Main Point :-   (i) India’s participation in Exercise Desert Flag-10 involves the deployment of MiG-29 and Jaguar fighter aircraft from the Indian Air Force (IAF). The primary objectives of India’s involvement include conducting complex and diverse fighter engagements in a multinational environment, exchanging operational knowledge and mission planning strategies with global air forces, and enhancing interoperability. Additionally, the exercise provides an opportunity to build mutual trust with partner nations.

      (ii) India's strong defence cooperation with the UAE is highlighted through regular engagements such as annual Defence Dialogue and the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC). This collaboration also includes naval and military training exchanges, along with regular port calls, strengthening the defense ties between the two nations.

(iii) To facilitate deeper defence engagements, India has posted a resident Defence Adviser (DA) at the Indian Embassy in UAE since March 2013. These efforts align with the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deepen defence, energy, and security cooperation between India and the UAE.
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