Japan’s F-2A Fighters Head to India for First Joint Air Exercise

New Delhi, September 02, 2026 Japan and India are set to take their defence partnership a step further with Japan’s fighter jets preparing to operate from Indian soil for the first time. The deployment will form part of Veer Guardian 26, highlighting the growing strategic and military engagement between the two countries and their focus on strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) will deploy three F-2A fighter aircraft to join the Indian Air Force in the exercise, which will be conducted from September 9 to 21 in the vicinity of an airbase in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Around 110 personnel from the ASDF’s 8th Air Wing, stationed at Tsuiki Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture, will also participate in the exercise. "It will be a great opportunity to further deepen mutual understanding and relationship of trust," ASDF Chief of Staff Takehiro Morita said. The exercise is expected to provide both air forces with an opportunity to enhance coordination and build greater familiarity through joint operational activities. The development follows Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit to India earlier this month, during which he held discussions with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on security issues in the Indo-Pacific. The two sides agreed to expand defence cooperation through joint exercises. India and Japan had earlier conducted a joint air exercise in Japan in January 2023, with fighter aircraft from both nations taking part. The upcoming deployment in Rajasthan will build on that engagement while marking the first time Japanese F-2A fighters will participate in an air exercise from India, underscoring the steady strengthening of defence ties between the two countries.