Pakistan on Alert as Indian Air Force Reserves Airspace for 17-Day Exercise Period Ahead of Veer Guardian 26 and Tarang Shakti 2026
Why It MattersLarge-scale multinational air exercises in contested border regions can prompt temporary airspace restrictions that ripple into regional flight planning and cross-border traffic patterns.
Pakistan has raised its vigilance along the India-Pakistan border after India's Air Force issued a Notice to Air Missions reserving airspace in western Rajasthan from September 21 to October 7, a 17-day window coinciding with two multinational exercises. The reserved airspace covers the Jaisalmer-Barmer-Phalodi-Jodhpur sector plus an additional block near NAL-Bikaner, extending to approximately 40,000 feet, with one section reaching within about 20 kilometres of the international border.
Pakistan's Ministry of Defence convened an urgent meeting to review the Indian notification, and a brief was submitted to the office of Pakistan's chief of defence forces. Senior Pakistani defence officials described their posture as defensive, saying their forces are tracking IAF movements and stand ready to give a "full response" to any perceived "misadventure" during the exercise period.
The airspace reservation precedes Veer Guardian 26, a joint exercise between the IAF and Japan's Air Self-Defense Force running from September 9 to 21, in which Japan is contributing three F-2A fighter jets and about 110 personnel, marking the first time Japanese fighter jets operate from an Indian air base. This is followed by Tarang Shakti 2026 in Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12, involving aircraft from eight countries including the United States, Australia, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, with more than 30 countries expected as observers, focused on joint flying, air-combat training and interoperability.
Separately, Pakistan's Navy conducted its own exercise, "KARRAR – The Relentless Striker," from August 16 to 22 in coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh, including the Sir Creek region, involving naval ships, personnel and marine commandos, observed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf.
