Indian Air Force & Thai Air Force conducted joint air exercise ‘In-Situ’

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Thailand’s Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) conducted a joint in-situ air exercise near the Malacca Strait to enhance operational coordination and interoperability.

• In-situ training means training exercises where military forces work together in real conditions at or near their actual mission location, rather than in an isolated or simulated environment.
• The objective of this exercise is to strengthen operational coordination in air operations, promote interoperability between the IAF and RTAF, and enhance India-Thai defence cooperation and regional synergy.
• The IAF deployed Su-30MKI fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft, Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), and IL-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft.
• The RTAF participated with Sweden-made multi-role fighter Gripen fighter aircraft.

About diplomatic relations between India and Thailand

• India and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1947 and celebrated the 75th anniversary of relations in 2022.
• Defence cooperation between the two countries is guided by a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 25 January 2012.
• This includes defence dialogue, joint maritime patrolling, annual staff talks, exchange visits, training programmes and participation in multilateral exercises. Thailand’s ‘Act West’ policy complements India’s ‘Act East’ outreach, and both countries are maritime neighbours.
• In the ASEAN region, after Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, Thailand is India’s 05th largest trading partner.

About other defence exercises between India and Thailand

• Exercise Maitree (Army) - The 14th edition of the bilateral joint military exercise “Maitree” between India and Thailand was held from 1 to 14 September 2025 at the Umroi Foreign Training Centre in Meghalaya. The Maitree exercise began in 2006 as an annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army.
• Siam Bharat Exercise (Air Force) - Ex Siam Bharat 2025 was a joint air force exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), held from 8-11 September 2025 in Pattaya, Thailand.
• India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Navy) - The 39th edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (INDO-THAI CORPAT) commenced on 6 June 2025 at Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, involving INS Saryu and HTMS Krabi to enhance maritime security.

About the Malacca Strait

• It is an important, narrow waterway in South-East Asia that connects the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. It is extremely important for global trade, especially for oil and goods between the Middle East/India and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea).
• Located between Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, managing about 40-50% of global trade by tonnage and vital energy supplies, making it a major geopolitical and economic chokepoint.