Tokyo, Aug. 30 – Japan F-2 fighter jets in India exercises mark a historic first as Tokyo deploys combat aircraft to the subcontinent for Veer Guardian 26, a landmark Japan-India joint air drills program scheduled from September 9 to 21, 2026, in Rajasthan. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 deployment to India will bring three Mitsubishi F-2 fighters and about 110 personnel from the 8th Air Wing at Tsuiki Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture, underscoring growing Indo-Pacific defense cooperation and Japan-India military partnership.
Japanese F-2 jets to India for the first time will operate alongside the Indian Air Force during the two-week training period designed to enhance interoperability, tactics and readiness. Japan Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Takehiro Morita stated the Veer Guardian 26 air exercise aims to strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the two air forces while expanding operational familiarity far from Japanese bases.
The F-2 fighter jets India deployment follows Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s visit and talks with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, during which both sides pledged deeper bilateral exercises to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. Officials framed the Japan-India defense cooperation as a practical step toward closer air-power coordination and long-range expeditionary training.
Veer Guardian 26 is the second Japan-India joint air exercise after the inaugural drills held in January 2023 at Hyakuri and Iruma air bases near Tokyo, when India sent Su-30MKI fighters, and Japan employed F-2 and F-15 aircraft. Sending F-2 fighters to Rajasthan therefore completes a reciprocal cycle and advances the Japan-India strategic partnership through concrete, on-the-ground air training.