Jodhpur (Rajasthan) [India], October 1 : Praising India's self-reliance in defence manufacturing, French Air Defence Deputy Commander Julien Sabene commended India's ability to develop, engine, and operate its indigenous Tejas fighter jet. 
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sabéné, a former Mirage 2000 pilot, noted that flying alongside the Tejas reminded him of the French delta-wing fighter, Mirage 2000. 
"The Tejas, it's new. I like it because it reminds me of the Mirage 2000, which was my aircraft when I was a fighter pilot, an active fighter pilot in the French Air and Space Force," he said.
Speaking on India's growing indigenous capability, he said, "As a sovereign nation, France is like India, and I found it great that India has been able to develop its own fighters, its own engines, its own fighter and to fly it on its own."
He said the two air forces were building on that foundation. "So far the connections between the two aircraft have been quite good. We continue to develop interoperability with different equipment, but the most important part is also knowing each other, so knowing the aircrews, and this is something we can do here in Jodhpur where the aircrew can meet and talk about their aircraft and the best practices to be better together."
Sabéné also reflected upon how the relationship between the two air forces goes back decades.
 "The Indian Air Force has had French equipment since the 50s, 1952 with the Ouragan. Now, the Indian Air Force has had the Rafale for quite a few years now, and it's great because we can exchange best practices."
Both air forces have used the Rafale in combat, he noted, and that experience was valuable for both sides. 
"Indian Air Force has flown the Rafale in combat and so have we. So, combat lessons learned are really interesting and those are the ones you can exchange when you do such a large-force engagement exercise like Tarang Shakti."
On interoperability between the two fleets, he said, "We have seen great interoperability with the Rafale, but not only that; we've also seen we can refuel from your tankers, and vice versa."
The French contingent comprised of seven Rafales, three MRTTs and two A400Ms for the exercise. 
"This morning I was flying as an observer on an A400M providing air-to-air refuelling for Rafale and it worked like a charm," he said.
Describing PEGASE 26, France's long-range deployment, Sabéné said the mission had made five stops in different countries so far.
"Stopping here for Exercise Tarang Shakti was the highlight for us because it's a true multinational ambitious exercise that gives us the best training to be ready for the next type of war."
His remarks come as France is participating in Exercise Tarang Shakti, taking place in Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12.
Themed “Power in Partnership”, it underscores the strength that comes from working together, sharing expertise and building interoperability among partner air forces.
The Ministry of Defence noted in a statement earlier that seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) — Australia, the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — are participating in the exercise.
Notably, the foreign aircraft taking part include the F-35 Lightning II, Rafale, F-16, A400M, MRTT, C-130, C-130J and KC-30A, bringing together a diverse mix of combat, airlift and air-to-air refuelling capabilities.