Exercise Veer Guardian: In Jodhpur, India and Japan air chiefs take New Delhi-Tokyo partnership to skies on Tejas
India and Japan air chiefs take New Delhi-Tokyo partnership to skies on Tejas. (Image courtesy: IAF)
New Delhi: The India-Japan air partnership took to the skies over Jodhpur on Sunday as the chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, and the chief of staff, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), General Takehiro Morita, flew in Tejas aircraft during Exercise Veer Guardian 2026. Gen Morita’s flight makes him the first JASDF chief to fly India’s indigenous Tejas fighter, as Indian and Japanese fighter aircraft continued joint combat training at Air Force Station Jodhpur.
The two air chiefs walked towards their respective Tejas aircraft before taking off as part of the ongoing bilateral exercise. The IAF and JASDF are using the exercise to conduct advanced operational missions while improving their understanding of each other’s tactics, procedures and operational practices.
The IAF has fielded a mix of frontline combat aircraft for Veer Guardian 2026, including the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale fighter jets. Japan is participating with its F-2A fighters, making the deployment particularly significant as it marks the first time JASDF fighter aircraft have travelled to India for the bilateral exercise.
Veer Guardian 2026 is being conducted at Air Force Station Jodhpur and in the surrounding airspace, with the exercise scheduled to continue until September 22. Apart from flying missions, the programme includes mission planning conferences, professional exchanges between specialists and discussions on engineering practices and aerospace safety.
The training also allows Indian and Japanese aircrew to gain greater familiarity with each other’s aircraft, procedures and methods of conducting air operations.
The current edition builds on the inaugural Veer Guardian exercise held in Japan in January 2023. Indian Su-30MKI fighters had then trained with Japanese F-2 and F-15 aircraft, while the latest edition has brought Japanese fighter aircraft to India for the first time and added a reciprocal dimension to the air force engagement.
As RNA Media had reported earlier, defence minister Rajnath Singh had described Japan’s deployment of fighter aircraft to India for Veer Guardian 2026 as a “significant milestone” for the India-Japan defence partnership. Singh had said the maiden visit of JASDF fighter aircraft reflected growing trust between the two countries and their shared commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The exercise comes amid a broader expansion of India-Japan defence cooperation, with the two sides seeking to increase military exchanges and operational engagement. Their cooperation extends beyond air exercises to areas including defence technology, research, equipment and industrial collaboration.
With Veer Guardian 2026 continuing until September 22, Indian and Japanese air warriors will undertake further operational missions and professional interactions at Jodhpur. The exercise provides another platform for both air forces to develop operational familiarity while building on the reciprocal fighter deployments that have expanded their bilateral air engagement.
