India, Japan to hold maiden bilateral air exercise

New Delhi: To promote bilateral air defence cooperation, the Indian Air Force and and Japan's Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) are all set to hold joint exercise, 'Veer Guardian-2023' at Japan's Hyakuri Air Base from January 12 to 26, a defence statement said.

The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su-30 MKI fighters, and two C-17s and an IL-78 transport aircraft while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 fighter aircraft.

During the second Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting held in Tokyo on September 8, India and Japan agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills, reflecting the growing security cooperation between the two sides.

This exercise will thus be another step in deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation between the two countries.

According to the India's Defence Ministry, the inaugural exercise will include the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two air forces.

They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices. Experts from both sides will also hold discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects. Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will fortify the long standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces, it said.