The Indian Air Force participated in Exercise Ocean Sky 2025 from October 20-31, 2025, at Gando Air Base in the Canary Islands, Spain. The drill was hosted by the Spanish Air Force and is a multinational air-combat exercise. India’s participation was historic because the Indian Air Force became the first non-NATO air force to join the exercise. This makes the development relevant not only as a defence update, but also as a marker of India’s wider strategic outreach and defence engagement with Spain and other NATO-linked partners.

India deployed four Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft and a 96-member team for the exercise. The key value of participation lay in exposure to a multinational coalition environment, where pilots and support teams train with different air forces, procedures and operational styles. Airbus’ account of Ocean Sky 2025 says the edition brought together up to 40 aircraft and focused on improving interoperability and air-control tactics. The Canary Islands also offered favourable conditions for full mission execution and comparatively traffic-free airspace in the south, making the location suitable for large air exercises.

For exam preparation, this topic connects defence exercises, India-Spain relations, India’s engagement with NATO-linked air forces, and the Sukhoi-30 MKI platform. In prelims, likely facts include the host country, venue, dates, aircraft deployed, team size and India’s first non-NATO participation. In mains, the example can support answers on defence diplomacy, operational learning through joint exercises and India’s expanding security partnerships. Static GK should be linked with Spain, the Canary Islands, Gando Air Base and major fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force.