NEW DELHI: India and Japan will hold their maiden joint Air Exercise, 'Veer Guardian-2023' involving the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) at the Hyakuri Air Base in Japan from January 12 to 26.
The IAF on Saturday said, "The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su 30 MKI, two C-17 and one IL-78 aircraft, while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft."
Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces and will be a vital move in deepening strategic ties. 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," said the IAF.
India and Japan agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation during the second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting held in Tokyo on September 8, 2022.
Both nations decided to engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills, reflecting the growing security cooperation between the two sides amid increasing concerns over China's military posturing in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan is one of the six nations with which India has signed logistics agreements. In September 2020, Japan and India signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) on the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the self-defence forces of Japan and the Indian Armed Forces. The ACSA came into force on July 11, 2021.
The logistics agreement adds endurance to the warships and aircraft of the two countries and will open the airbases and ports for the assistance of fuel, rest and ration and also basic maintenance.
India has similar logistics agreements with the US, Singapore, France, South Korea, and Australia and one with Russia is pending.