Japan is poised to deploy its fighter jets to India for the primary time as the 2 nations—dedicated to the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” — bolster interoperability and strengthen protection relations.
Japan Air Self-Defence Drive (JASDF) will deploy three F-2 fighter jets together with 110 troops from the Eighth Air Wing primarily based at Tsuiki Airbase in southwestern Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture to India for the “Veer Guardian 2026” train, the JASDF mentioned in an announcement final week.
The jets will fly from Tsuiki to Jodhpur by way of Naha Air Base in Okinawa and a cease in Thailand, with U.S. Air Drive assist together with aerial refueling on the lengthy haul. The train is because of start at Jodhpur Air Drive Station in Rajasthan on September 9 and run by way of September 21, 2026.
The drills are anticipated to give attention to air fight coaching, together with F-22-versus-Su-30MKI workouts, to enhance tactical abilities, mutual understanding, and interoperability. “This will likely be a beneficial alternative to boost mutual understanding and belief,” Takehiro Morita, chief of workers of the JASDF, acknowledged.
This marks one other bilateral fighter train between the 2 air forces and the primary time Japanese fighters will function from Indian soil. In January 2023, the Indian Air Drive (IAF) deployed 4 Su-30MKIs towards 4 JASDF F-2s and 4 F-15s, because the EurAsian Instances reported on the time.
The F-2, nicknamed “Viper Zero,” is a Japanese-developed multirole fighter primarily based on the F-16 however considerably modified with bigger composite wings, indigenous AESA radar, superior Japanese avionics, and a robust anti-ship emphasis, amongst different issues. It was developed primarily for the JASDF to deal with threats posed by regional adversaries corresponding to North Korea and China, and has been a cornerstone of the Japanese protection forces alongside the F-15Js since getting into service within the early 2000s.
The F-2’s deployment to India marks a transparent improve from earlier restricted interactions to extra complicated, reciprocal air fight coaching on Indian soil.
Notably, the IAF’s fleet deployment for the drills is unclear at this second, however the service is prone to pull out its Su-30MKI fighters. For now, the Rafale jets usually are not anticipated to take part within the drills.
The deployment of Su-30MKIs will create high-value dissimilar coaching and provides Japanese pilots uncommon publicity to a heavy, thrust-vectoring Flanker-type platform, which can assist them higher perceive Chinese language J-16 plane. In the meantime, the IAF pilots will practice towards a sophisticated spinoff of the F-16 (additionally operated by Pakistan) with distinct radar traits, digital warfare techniques, flight-control philosophy, and multi-role ways.
Such coaching sometimes improves pilot abilities in each Past-Visible-Vary and Inside-Visible-Vary engagements and exposes each side to unfamiliar sensors and weapons.
It’s value noting that the drills come at a time when Japan’s army and strategic coverage is present process a serious transformation.
For the primary time within the final eight a long time, Japan is trying past the US for safety and enhancing protection capabilities, and actively searching for new safety companions within the Indo-Pacific, with India rising as a key participant for deeper protection cooperation, joint industrial tasks, and regional deterrence, because the EurAsian Instances earlier explained in an in depth report.
Japan and India have launched a slew of diplomatic and protection initiatives to strengthen cooperation and interoperability. For instance, the joint army train, named the ”Dharma Guardian,” was conducted from February 24 to March 9, 2026, in Chaubattia, Uttarakhand, India.
“Free Ride is Over”: Japan’s Big Message to U.S. as Tokyo Gets Ready to Defend Itself Against China
Final month, Indian Protection Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Protection Minister Shinjiro Koizumi signed a Memorandum of Association on Maritime Safety Cooperation in New Delhi—the primary doc centered particularly on maritime safety that Japan’s Ministry of Protection has concluded with any nation.
It offers for enhanced data sharing on maritime area consciousness; nearer coordination on search-and-rescue and humanitarian help/catastrophe aid; mutual ship visits; joint workouts; personnel and subject-matter skilled exchanges; and logistical assist, together with use of ports and restore services.
The 2 sides have additionally agreed to discover joint improvement beneath the framing “Design with Japan, Make in India,” leveraging Japanese know-how with Indian manufacturing capability.
Moreover, each side determined to ascertain a brand new Working Group on the Director-Basic/Joint Secretary degree to coordinate cooperation throughout the operational, intelligence, tools, know-how, and industrial domains, whereas persevering with to make use of the 2020 Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Settlement and to increase logistics preparations.
In April this yr, Japan enacted a historic overhaul of its protection export insurance policies, formally ending decades-old post-WWII restrictions that had restricted army shipments to non-combat classes. On the time, India welcomed the transfer, with the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) saying that protection and safety cooperation kinds an essential pillar of the India-Japan Particular Strategic and World Partnership.
The brand new guideline paves the way in which for arms gross sales, together with Japanese-developed warships, fight drones, and different weapons.
Japan pitched the World Fight Plane Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation fighter, to India final yr. For now, India seems to have shortlisted the France-led FCAS for additional discussions. In the meantime, Indian reviews point out that New Delhi is now a dialogue associate for GCAP, which implies doorways may nonetheless be open to each Sixth-gen jets.
The 2 nations additionally signed a Memorandum of Intent in November 2024 to “co-develop” the UNICORN (Unified Complicated Radio Antenna) mast, a conical construction that enhances a warship’s communications and stealth capabilities. The MoU acknowledged that the co-development will happen beneath the India-Japan Protection Expertise Cooperation.
Subsequently, India and Japan introduced their first-ever cooperative protection co-development venture to supply the UNICORN collectively on the sixteenth India–Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi in July 2026.
Japan & India Confronted With The China Problem
Japan encounters hostile PLA exercise within the East China Sea, across the Senkaku Islands, and close to Taiwan. In the meantime, India is locked in a border dispute with China within the Himalayas. Beijing can be a number one arms provider to India’s arch-rival Pakistan and is constructing shut hyperlinks with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, all of India’s neighbors.
Though neither nation is anticipated to come back to the opposite’s assist in a battle with China, nearer air-force interoperability, joint workouts, and logistics expertise could elevate the fee and complexity of Chinese language coercion, analysts say. Furthermore, the joint train builds sensible interoperability and expertise that would matter in a possible army contingency, whereas promoting that Japan and India can work collectively.
Furthermore, analysts imagine {that a} sturdy protection axis between India and Japan can also create two-front strain on Beijing, with the geography apparently working towards it. India borders China to the west, whereas Japan lies off China’s japanese maritime approaches close to key inhabitants and financial facilities.
Unsurprisingly, this collaboration has despatched alarm bells ringing in China, which incessantly accuses Japan of provocation and militarism within the area.
China considers the improved army cooperation between India and Japan an try by Tokyo to “revive militarism,” increase its army attain throughout the area, and pull India into an anti-China coalition. Beijing has criticized the increasing cooperation in a language just like its critique of the Quad, which incorporates India, Japan, the US, and Australia.
For the reason that Quad has been diluted because the US has prioritized different pursuits in recent times, bilateral cooperation between Tokyo and New Delhi could assist maintain the grouping’s technique, even when on a smaller scale.
After Japan scrapped a ban on deadly weapons export in April 2026, an article printed within the state-owned World Instances acknowledged, “Japan is ignoring at the moment’s geopolitical realities within the Asia-Pacific by searching for to revise its pacifist framework, opening deadly weapons exports, recklessly frightening confrontation with China, and even making an attempt to return to the previous street of militarism.” Moreover, it urged India to “to not neglect historical past or search strategic balancing by loosening constraints on Japan.”
In the meantime, Japan continues to construct up its capabilities towards China. The truth is, it known as Beijing’s army actions and exterior posture a “matter of significant concern” for each Japan and the worldwide neighborhood in a white paper launched final month. It additionally mentioned China’s actions posed an “unprecedented” strategic risk.
Whereas reaffirming the strategic significance of the US, the paper emphasised that Japan should strengthen its personal capabilities and forge partnerships with like-minded nations within the Indo-Pacific, together with India, Australia, and the Philippines.
Veer Guardian 2026 may very well be a serious step in that route—constructing sensible interoperability and reinforcing the strategic convergence between New Delhi and Tokyo.
