About Exercise Orion:
- It is a multinational exercise hosted by the French government.
- It is reportedly the largest ever multinational exercise being carried out by the French defence forces which have involved their Army, Navy and Air Force.
- It includes ground troops, warships, aircraft carriers and combat aircraft and is meant to boost military cooperation and interoperability among participating nations.
- Besides the IAF and the FASF, Air Forces from Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, U.K. and U.S. would also be flying in this multilateral exercise.
- The IAF contingent will include four Rafale aircraft, two C-17, two IL-78 aircraft and 165 air warriors.
- This would be the first overseas exercise for the IAF’s Rafale aircraft.
Q1) What are Rafale fighter aircrafts?
The Rafale is a twin-jet fighter aircraft able to operate from both an aircraft carrier and a shore base. The fully versatile Rafale is able to carry out all combat aviation missions: air superiority and air defense, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.
Last updated on January, 2026
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