The French Embassy in India has highlighted the ongoing Pegase 26 air mission, describing it as a demonstration of France’s long-range air power and its commitment to strengthening cooperation with strategic partners, including India, across the Indo-Pacific.
In posts on X and Instagram, the embassy said, “From France to India and across the Indo-Pacific, PÉGASE 26 showcases France’s air power projection and commitment to strengthening cooperation with strategic partners.”
#PÉGASE in India: D-3! 🇫🇷🇮🇳
From France to India and across the Indo-Pacific, PÉGASE 26 showcases France’s air power projection and commitment to strengthening cooperation with strategic partners.
PÉGASE 26 की एक झलक ✈️@Armee_de_lair @IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/fd6nowkl4T
— French
Embassy in India 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@FranceinIndia) September 22, 2026
The post comes as four French Rafale fighter jets undertake a roughly 40-day, 40,000-kilometre deployment across three continents and several strategically important regions.
According to the French Ministry of Armed Forces, the mission runs from September 8 to October 15 and includes four Rafale aircraft, three A330 MRTT aerial refuelling aircraft, two A400M transport aircraft and around 300 personnel.
Rafale Mission To Cover Arctic, Indo-Pacific
Pegase 26 is following a route linking the Arctic, Indo-Pacific and Middle East.
The French Ministry of Armed Forces said the deployment began with a flight towards Greenland before continuing through Canada and Alaska and then towards Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
Qatar, La Réunion and Egypt are also part of the itinerary.
The Associated Press reported that the Rafale jets flew from France to Alaska via Greenland, with the journey taking nearly 11 hours and involving five aerial refuelling operations.
AP also reported that this is the first Pegase mission to take the northern route over Greenland towards Alaska.
France has described the route as an opportunity to test its ability to operate in very different environments while developing interoperability with partner forces.
General Julien Sabéné, commander of Pegase 26, told AP that exploring alternative routes was important for potential operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The French Defence Ministry has similarly said the mission is designed to strengthen cooperation with countries that are geographically distant from metropolitan France.
India Leg Of Mission
India is a key stop on the Indo-Pacific leg of Pegase 26. The French Defence Ministry said the French aircraft are scheduled to participate in Exercise Tarang Shakti in India, providing an opportunity for French and Indian air forces to further develop interoperability.
The deployment comes against the backdrop of expanding India-France strategic cooperation.
In February 2026, India and France elevated their relationship to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership” and reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
The two countries also agreed to intensify cooperation in defence research, development and production.
The French Defence Ministry said Pegase 26 is also intended to strengthen strategic partnerships with Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India, while demonstrating France’s ability to deploy an air force over long distances and operate alongside partner countries.
France Emphasises Partnerships
French officials have framed Pegase 26 not only as a military deployment but also as an exercise in cooperation and interoperability.
According to AP, French Deputy Defence Minister Alice Rufo said before the aircraft departed: “In practical terms, we fly together, we land together, we work together.”
She added, “If we’re called upon to act together in the face of a threat, we need to be immediately interoperable.”
Rufo said such interoperability does not happen automatically and has to be developed through exercises and missions.
The French Defence Ministry has also said the mission seeks to demonstrate France’s commitment to international law and freedom of movement in international spaces.
Pegase 26 is not a nuclear exercise, AP reported. The Rafale aircraft involved are carrying mock conventional weapons for training purposes, while personnel from France’s Strategic Air Force are participating in the mission.
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