India, Japan to hold maiden bilateral air exercise

New Delhi: India and Japan will hold their first bilateral air exercise from January 12 to 26, in reflection of the growing defence ties amid increasing concerns over China’s military muscle flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.
The exercise ‘Veer Guardian-2023’ involving the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) will be held at Japan’s Hyakuri air base.
The IAF said on Saturday that its deployment at the exercise will include four Su-30 MKI jets, two C-17 aircraft and one IL-78 plane. The JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft, it said.
As per the plan, over 150 IAF personnel will take part in the exercise. According to a statement released by the JASDF, the participating units will include four F-2s, 7th Air Wing (Hyakuri), four F-15s, Air Tactics Development Wing (Komatsu) and Central Aircraft Control and Warning Wing (Iruma).
“This is the first time that IAF is conducting an air combat exercise with Japan. The purpose of this is to enhance tactical skills on both sides through several activities, seminars, and drills. This will also further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations,” a source said explaining the significance of the programme.
India and Japan do conduct both Army and Navy level exercises. In February this year, both armies came together for “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022” in Belagavi, Karnataka, where they trained in house-interventions drills, raid on terrorist hideouts in semi-urban terrain, combat first aid, unarmed combat and close-quarter combat firing.
The bilateral Army exercise was started in 2018 while the Indian Navy has been conducting the Japan India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX), every year since 2012.
The primary focus of the naval exercise has been on anti-submarine warfare and Air Defence tactics.
Japan, which has largely remained pacifist since World War II, is now increasingly focusing on defence preparedness.
Last week, Japan unveiled its USD 320 billion security strategy which includes drastically expanding its defence capabilities and developing new “counter strike” capabilities.
The surprising five-year plan will make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the United States and China, based on current budgets.