CENTRE FOR AIR POWER STUDIES

When the German Luftwaffe contingent flies into India for the exercises, the formation is going to be led by their chief himself.7 In addition, the A-400 M is in contention, along with the Brazilian C-390 Millennium and American C-130 J, for the Medium Transport Aircraft that the IAF is looking for. [...] In the request for information for the MTA, the IAF has asked 3 CAPS InFocus 26 June 2024 the foreign vendors to provide a general estimate of the cost of aircraft and associated equipment for a batch of 40, 60, and 80 aircraft.8 In Octob er, Tarang Shakti will be followed by a port call by two German Navy ships– the frigate Baden-Württemberg and the combat supply ship Frank. [...] In the wake of this, the 2024 deployment of the German Navy will see it reassuring its allies that Germany is committed to the Indo-Pacific. [...] However, the decision on whether they will be traversing the Taiwan Strait, one of the flashpoints in the world today, will be made closer to the date.14 It is also possible that the transit does not happen, as Germany wants to protect its ties with China as well. [...] The MDL failed to capitalise on the construction know-how to build the submarines, but the fact of the matter remains that these submarines never had to go back to Germany for retrofit.