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Joint Air Exercise “Veer Guardian 2023” will be held by India and Japan

India and Japan are all set to commence upon the maiden joint air activity “Veer Guardian 2023” in order to further the air defence cooperation. Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) and Indian Air Force (IAF) will hold the first bilateral air exercise at the Hyakuri Air Base in Japan. It will start on 12th January 2023 and end on 26th January 2023.

The IAF Contingent which is to take part in the maiden exercise with Japan was scheduled to depart on 8th January for Hyakuri Air Base. For the first time, this maiden air exercise will include an Indian Air Force woman fighter pilot who would be part of the Indian contingent for aerial war games in a foreign land.

The participating IAF contingent will incorporate four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 & one IL-78 aircraft, during the joint air exercise Veer Guardian 2023. On the other hand, the JASDF contingent will incorporate our F-2 & four F-15 aircraft.

The first session of the bilateral exercise will witness the conduct of multiple aerial combat drills from the air forces of Japan and India. The joint activity of the air forces will also include multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment that will allow the air warriors to exchange their best practices. In addition to this, experts from both sides will conduct discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects.

The Veer Guardian 2023, which is conducted to exercise, is a major decision taken to step up the defense cooperation between India and Japan which was taken during the second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting that was held in Tokyo Japan. This meeting was conducted on 8th September 2022. In this high-level ministerial meeting, both India and Japan agreed to engage in more military exercises, including the commencement of the first joint fighter jet drills.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Exercise Veer Guardian 2023 will be another step toward deepening the strategic ties and further enhancing closer defence cooperation between India and Japan. It has also reflected the growing security cooperation between the two nations. This joint exercise will further fortify the long-standing bond of friendship between the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defence Force.

References

https://newsonair.com/2023/01/08/india-japan-to-hold-maiden-air-exercise-veer-guardian-2023-2/#:~:text=Indian%20Air%20Force%20(IAF)%20and,8)%20for%20Hyakuri%20Air%20Base.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-japan-to-hold-joint-air-exercise-veer-guardian-2023-2318609-2023-01-07
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-japan-to-hold-maiden-bilateral-air-exercise/articleshow/96816063.cms