Pégase 26 and the Architecture of Long-Range Air Power
- October 22, 2026 |
- Issue Brief
Background: The Pégase Series and the Arctic Route
France has run the Pégase series since 2018.[4] The 2026 edition commits four Rafale F4s, three A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) Phénix aircraft, two A400M Atlas airlifters, and about 300 airmen for nearly 40 days, with nine stopovers and in polar, tropical, and desert environments.[5] Its route, from Greenland through Alaska and East Asia to India, the Gulf and Egypt, covers more than 40,000 km and validates a new projection route through the Far North.[6]
The Framework
The Rafale provides the combat capability. The A330 MRTT extends its endurance through aerial refuelling while also undertaking transport tasks. The A400M moves personnel, equipment and essential support resources. Together, these platforms enable a compact force to undertake a complex deployment across multiple geographical environments.
The A330 MRTT Phénix: The force multiplier that extends operational reach
The A330 MRTT Phénix is arguably the most consequential enabling asset in PÉGASE 26. Aerial refuelling extends the endurance of compatible aircraft, reduces dependence on intermediate landing locations and provides greater flexibility in planning long-distance missions.
Three MRTTs left Istres with the four Rafales. The crews faced icing, crosswinds forecast at up to 35 knots, demanding approaches into Pituffik in Greenland and few diversion options.[7] Significantly, the Arctic leg demanded more tankers than fighters. Over the ice cap, the diversion airfield, normally the safety net of air-to-air refuelling, largely disappears. Hence, the real test lay in synchronising tanker availability, fuel states and crew endurance across a prolonged flight.
Each Phénix carries about 110 tonnes of fuel and can refuel two Rafales at once. France designed the fleet to deploy 20 Rafales 20,000 km within 48 hours, and it has supported the airborne nuclear deterrent since October 2019. It also carries up to 272 personnel or 30 tonnes of cargo, and converts to carry up to 40 lightly injured patients.[8] It refuels through both a boom and wing pods; in Alaska it refuelled United States Air Force F-22s through the boom.[9] Taken together, the figures explain the tanker’s strategic weight: it turns a fighter’s fixed combat radius into a choice of deep strike from secure rear bases, persistent patrols over distant sea lanes or rapid reinforcement. It adds cargo and casualty evacuation without a second fleet.
The A400M Atlas: Sustaining the deployment
The A400M Atlas performs the essential supporting function of moving personnel, equipment and supplies. Its role is particularly relevant during deployments involving remote operating environments, where maintenance resources, technical equipment and logistical support cannot be assumed to be readily available.
The A400M lifts 30 tonnes over about 2,400 nautical miles and lands on short or unprepared strips.[10] Over the Arctic it also stood by for search and rescue, able to drop survival kits, rescue boats and medical supplies within about ten metres of an ejected pilot.[11] Long-range planning, on this evidence, must provide for recovery as well as for the mission.
Command: Holding the System Together
Effective command and control links the technical capabilities of individual aircraft into a functioning operational system. Without this coordination, additional tankers or transport aircraft do not automatically translate into greater mission effectiveness.
An air operations centre at Lyon-Mont-Verdun supports the mission remotely, while the French Air and Space Force sustains air policing and its nuclear deterrence role at home.[12] Without such coordination, additional tankers or transports do not translate into greater mission effectiveness.
India’s Long-Range Record
The comparison holds for technique rather than purpose, since India’s interests centre on the Indian Ocean Region. In 2020, the first five IAF Rafales flew nearly 7,000 km from France to India with French tanker support.[13] In November 2025, Su-30MKIs were deployed to France for Exercise Garuda with IL-78 tankers and C-17 airlift.[14] In July 2026, a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A refuelled IAF Rafales during Exercise Pitch Black.[15]
The tanker arm is in transition. The IL-78 fleet entered service in 2003, and a wet-leased KC-135 at Agra now serves both the IAF and the Indian Navy.[16] Six Boeing 767-based multi-mission tanker transports will replace the IL-78s, converted by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for delivery in 2029.[17] IAI designs the aircraft with both boom and hose-and-drogue systems, configurable for refuelling, cargo and passengers.[18]
Refuelling Across Flags
In-flight refuelling between nations requires technical compatibility, qualified crews and formal arrangements, distinct from fuel supplied on the ground. India’s November 2024 arrangement with Australia allows Royal Australian Air Force tankers to refuel Indian aircraft, and the Pitch Black sorties put it into practice.[19] India’s 2018 agreement with France provides for reciprocal logistics support between the armed forces, including during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).[20]
Implications for India: Deterrence and Relief
The Ministry of Defence states that the Rafale will boost IAF deterrence through long-range offensive strikes, and that the Rafale-Marine, common with the IAF Rafale, will strengthen joint operational capability.[21] Notably, the six 767s will replace the six IL-78s while the Rafale fleet grows.
The same assets govern disaster relief. When an earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025, two IAF C-17s left Agra the next day with a 118-member field hospital unit.[22] Helicopters and last-mile distribution often decide relief outcomes; where distance is the obstacle, however, tanker and airlift capacity governs speed. The IAF already rehearses disaster response through Samanvay, its annual joint HADR exercise.
India has already demonstrated comparable long reach, and its incoming 767 fleet brings much of that versatility. Until the 767s arrive in 2029, the IAF will depend on the six IL-78s, one leased KC-135 and partner arrangements. It is important to strengthen the interim mix to support both a growing Rafale fleet and long-range relief tasks.
For India, the strongest practical application is the ability to mobilise and sustain an effective aerospace response during a humanitarian emergency. Success is measured not by how far an aircraft can fly in isolation, but by how reliably the entire system can deliver the required capability where it is needed. PÉGASE 26 demonstrated the technical integration, environmental adaptability and logistical coordination required to sustain long-range aerospace operations.
Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the Government of India.
[1] “PEGASUS 26: Step 1, Leading the Way Through the Far North“, Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, , Government of France, 10 September 2026.
[2] “PEGASUS 26: New Projection of Aerospace Power“, Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, , Government of France, 31 August 2026.
[3] “Indian Air Force Contingent Reached Alaska to Participate in Multi-national Exercise, Red Flag 24“, News On AIR, 30 May 2024.
[4] “PEGASUS 26: New Projection of Aerospace Power”, no. 2.
[5] “Pegasus 26, Strategic Deployment of the French Air and Space Force””, Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Government of France, 27 August 2026.
[6] “PEGASUS 26: New Projection of Aerospace Power”, no. 2.
[7] “PEGASUS 26: Step 1, Leading the Way Through the Far North “, no. 1.
[8] “Fiche LPM – A330 MRTT Phénix“, Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Government of France.
[9] “Stage 2: Alaska, the Rendezvous of the Rafale, F-35 and F-22 at the Gates of the Pacific”, Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Government of France, 22 September 2026.
[10] “Atlas C1 A400M“, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence, Government of United Kingdom.
[11] “PEGASUS 26: Step 1, Leading the Way Through the Far North”, no. 1.
[12] “PEGASUS 26: New Projection of Aerospace Power”, no. 2.
[13] “First Batch of 5 Rafales Reaches UAE Airbase on Way to India From France“, The Week, 27 July 2020.
[14] “Indian Air Force Participates in Bilateral Exercise ‘Garuda 25’ with French Air and Space Force“, The Tribune, 15 November 2025.
[15]Jody Blakeley, “Keeping Multinational Aircraft Mission-ready“, Air Force News, Royal Australian Air Force, 30 July 2026.
[16] Snehesh Alex Philip, “IAF’s Leased KC-135 Lands in Agra, American Firm’s Pilots to Man Mid-air Refueller”, The Print, 21 November 2025.
[17] Inder Singh Bisht, “India Greenlights $1.1-Billion Boeing 767 Tanker Procurement“, The Defense Post, 21 January 2026; David Oliver, “India May have Finally Settled its Aerial Refueller Requirement“, Asian Military Review, 21 January 2026.
[18] “Air Refueling B767 MMTT“, Israel Aerospace Industries.
[19] Robert Dougherty, “RAAF Tankers to Refuel Indian Aircraft Under New Defence Deal“, Australian Aviation, 22 November 2024.
[20] “List of MoUs/Agreements Signed During the State Visit of President of France to India (March 10, 2018)“, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 10 March 2018.
[21] “DAC Clears Rs 3.60 lakh crore worth of Capital Acquisition Proposals to Enhance the Combat Readiness of Defence Forces“, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, 12 February 2026; “Inter-Governmental Agreement inked with France for 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft for Indian Navy“, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, 28 April 2025.
[22] “Myanmar Quake: India Sends More Humanitarian Aid in C-17 Aircraft“, The Tribune, 6 April 2025.
