New Delhi: Indian Army paratroopers joined troops from Indonesia, the United States, France and Japan in a multinational airborne operation at Baturaja in South Sumatra as part of Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2026. The Friday drill involved a parachute insertion followed by integrated ground training, giving forces from the five countries an opportunity to practice common procedures, communication and coordination in a multinational environment.
The Indian contingent included personnel from the 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade, according to information and imagery released by the US military. Indian soldiers from the formation had also participated in jungle survival training at the Baturaja combat training center earlier in the exercise alongside Indonesian, American and Australian personnel.
Indonesian military reporting said 320 personnel took part in the airborne operation: 110 Indonesian troops, 147 US paratroopers, 40 Indian personnel, 17 Japanese personnel and six French jumpers. They conducted static-line parachute jumps from about 1,200 feet over the Baturaja landing area.
Two Indonesian C-130 Hercules aircraft and three US transport aircraft were used in the operation, with a US KC-130 also supporting the exercise.
An airborne insertion allows troops to deploy by parachute into a designated area before reorganizing and moving towards assigned objectives on the ground. Following the jump, the multinational force transitioned into field and jungle training, with personnel from different countries operating within a combined task force structure.
Lieutenant General M Naudi Nurdika, chief of the Indonesian national armed forces doctrine development, education and training command, said the airborne training was designed to strengthen the troops’ tactical ability to infiltrate an objective directly from the air. He said the exercise also allowed the five participating countries to synchronize procedures and test their ability to mount immediate joint operations in response to regional crises or contingencies.
Nurdika said the drill was also aimed at improving the ability of paratroopers from the five countries to conduct safe and precise airborne manoeuvres.
The airborne insertion also fed into field training under combined task force 501. US Army Pacific said troops from the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada were organized into four companies, with platoons from different countries operating within the same battalion structure, allowing them to compare procedures, communications and planning methods during subsequent ground operations.
For the Indian Army, the exercise provided airborne troops an opportunity to compare procedures and train alongside partner militaries in unfamiliar terrain. US army pacific said the multinational training was intended to improve communication between formations, expose troops to different planning and operating procedures and strengthen interoperability through shared tasks.
Exercise brings together 21 countries
Indonesia’s state news agency Antra, citing TNI commander General Agus Subiyanto, reported that Super Garuda Shield 2026 involves 4,743 personnel from 21 countries taking part in 12 training activities across several locations in Indonesia.
The wider exercise also includes cyber defence training and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities alongside field exercises. Indonesia has described Super Garuda Shield as a platform for improving operational readiness, exchanging capabilities and strengthening interoperability among participating militaries.
Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has said its wider participation in Super Garuda Shield includes airborne and amphibious training aimed at improving operational and tactical capabilities relevant to island recapture operations. That is Japan’s stated training objective and does not mean the multinational exercise is directed against any particular country.