Veer Guardian 2023: India, Japan to hold bilateral air combat exercise starting January 12
During the second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting, held in Tokyo, Japan, on September 8, 2022, India and Japan agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and conduct more military exercises.
FollowIndia and Japan are all set to hold the joint Air Exercise, 'Veer Guardian-2023', involving the Indian Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF), at Hyakuri Air Base in Japan starting from January 12 to January 26, 2023, to promote bilateral air defence cooperation.
The Indian contingent will include four Su-30 MKI, two C-17, and one IL-78 aircraft, while the Japanese contingent (JASDF) will include four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft, the IAF added.
During the second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting, held in Tokyo, Japan, on September 8, 2022, India and Japan agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and conduct more military exercises, including the first joint fighter jet drills, reflecting the two countries growing security cooperation. This exercise will thus be another step in the two countries deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation.
The inaugural exercise will involve various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces. They will conduct multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and share best practices.
Experts from both sides will also share their expertise on various operational aspects. Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will strengthen the two Air Forces' long-standing friendship and expand avenues of defence cooperation.
India and Japan have recently conducted several joint exercises. Both countries' navies participated in the sixth edition of the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) in the Bay of Bengal in September last year. The JIMEX series of exercises began in 2012. Its final edition was held in the Arabian Sea in October 2021.
In February-March of last year, both countries took part in Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022, an annual exercise between the Indian Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force at the Foreign Training Node in Belgaum. Also, in November 2022, Japan hosted India, the United States, and Australia in the multilateral exercise Malabar.
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