The Mitra Shakti 2026 contingent of the Indian Defence Forces left for Sri Lanka on Friday to take part in the 12th edition of the joint military exercise between the two countries. The contingent is 170 personnel strong, according to the Ministry of Defence.

An Indian Air Force transport aircraft carried the troops out.

Mitra Shakti 2026 takes the exercise back to Sri Lanka

Mitra Shakti is an annual training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lanka Army, held since 2012. It alternates between the two countries, and the 2025 edition was held in India, which places this year's turn in Sri Lanka.

The Mitra Shakti 2026 contingent is drawn from the Indian Defence Forces rather than the Army alone. The 2025 edition also carried Indian Air Force personnel alongside the troops.

Exercise follows the Defence Minister's Colombo visit and SLINEX-26

The deployment comes two months after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's three day visit to Colombo in September. During his call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the two sides exchanged three memoranda, including one under which India will upgrade six L70 guns held by the Sri Lanka Air Force through a Government of India grant. The other two covered academic cooperation between the National Defence Colleges of the two countries and a National Cadet Corps youth exchange.

The navies met soon after. SLINEX-26, the 13th edition of the bilateral maritime exercise, was held off Visakhapatnam from 17 to 21 September.

The Army's wider training calendar with partners in the region has kept pace. Indian special forces were in Banyuwangi from 27 October for Exercise Garuda Shakti with Indonesia, the 11th edition of that drill.

Belagavi edition trained troops for UN mandated operations

The 11th edition was held at the Foreign Training Node in Belagavi, Karnataka, from 10 to 23 November 2025. India fielded 170 personnel, drawn mainly from the Rajput Regiment, along with 20 from the Indian Air Force. Sri Lanka sent 135 personnel, mostly from the Gajaba Regiment, and 10 from the Sri Lanka Air Force, the ministry said at the time.

Its aim was to rehearse sub-conventional operations under Chapter VII of the United Nations mandate. Troops practised raids, search and destroy missions and heliborne operations, and drilled securing helipads and evacuating casualties during counter-terrorist operations.

Mixed groups of Indian and Sri Lankan soldiers also trained together on weapons, according to official accounts. One group fired the SIG Sauer 716, AK-203, Negev light machine gun and rocket launcher on simulators while the other went through live firing on the range. Drones and counter unmanned aerial systems were used alongside helicopters.

Sri Lankan training grounds hosted earlier editions

The 2021 edition, the eighth, was held at the Combat Training School in Ampara from 4 to 15 October that year, with around 120 personnel from each side.

Maduru Oya hosted the 2024 edition

The last edition held in Sri Lanka was the 10th, at the Army Training School, Maduru Oya, from 12 to 25 August 2024. India sent 106 personnel, led by a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles with troops from other arms and services, while the Sri Lankan side came from the Gajaba Regiment. For the 2025 edition in India, the Sri Lanka Army airlifted its contingent from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on an Indian Air Force aircraft.