Veer Guardian concludes; Japanese jets fly from Indian soil first time
Exercise Veer Guardian 2026, the India-Japan air drill, has concluded, with Japanese fighter aircraft operating from Indian soil for the first time. At Jodhpur Air Force Base, JASDF Chief Morita flew a sortie in a twin-seat variant of the indigenous Tejas, calling it a symbol of India's technological innovation. IAF Chief AP Singh led a Tejas formation flight and described Japan as an "Apatsu Mitram", a friend in times of crisis. In 2024 the two signed a joint project to co-develop the UNICORN mast for Navy warships.
Source
Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concluded, with Japanese fighter aircraft operating from Indian soil for the first time. — Stated in source as fact; no external agency or official statement cited.
- JASDF Chief Morita flew a sortie in a twin-seat Tejas and called it a symbol of India's technological innovation; IAF chief AP Singh led a Tejas formation flight. — Attributed in source to the named officers; first name of the JASDF chief given inconsistently (Masahiro vs Takehiro).
- India and Japan signed their first joint defence equipment project in 2024 to co-develop the UNICORN mast for Indian Navy warships. — Figure and year appear in source; no signing authority or document named.
- Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Rajnath Singh signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on maritime security cooperation. — Attributed to the two ministers in the source; no date or official release cited.
- India may participate in Japan's Global Combat Air Programme, its sixth-generation fighter initiative. — Source hedges this as 'reports suggesting' and exploratory; unattributed.
Analysts’ view opinion
Veer Guardian 2026 was less an air drill than a political statement about where India and Japan see themselves in the Indo-Pacific balance. Japanese fighters flying from Indian soil for the first time, and the JASDF chief taking a sortie in the indigenous Tejas, are images that pay dividends for New Delhi both diplomatically and at home. The IAF chief's framing of Japan as an "Apatsu Mitram" — a friend in crisis — signals that the trust here has moved beyond service-to-service routine into strategic territory.
- The optics are a gift to the government's Make in India and self-reliance narrative: a foreign air chief calling Tejas a symbol of Indian technological innovation is validation that no domestic campaign could buy.
- Deepening tri-service cooperation between two Quad members reflects overlapping regional security concerns and widens Delhi's strategic options.
- The 2024 UNICORN mast project and the recent maritime security arrangement show the relationship shifting from exercises to industry and technology — the stickier, harder-to-reverse kind of partnership.
- Tejas's showcasing carries export-market value, useful ammunition for the government's political case on defence exports.
- Parallel talks on Japan's GCAP and France's FCAS suggest Delhi is deliberately keeping options open rather than locking into one bloc, consistent with its strategic-autonomy instinct.
What to watch — Watch which sixth-generation fighter pathway India leans toward, and whether co-production talk on Japanese transport and maritime patrol aircraft hardens into actual agreements.
The story makes clear GCAP participation remains exploratory with nothing decided, and it establishes nothing about domestic political reaction or opposition positioning on the exercise.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 3 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Exercise Veer Guardian 2026, the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), has concluded at Jodhpur Air Force Base. Its significance lay in Japanese fighter aircraft operating from Indian soil for the first time, marking a new level of operational trust between the two Quad members. The drill sits within a broader India-Japan defence relationship that now spans all three services, logistics and classified-information agreements, and joint defence technology projects such as the UNICORN mast for Indian Navy warships. Both countries share overlapping concerns about Indo-Pacific security and a commitment to a free, open and rules-based order.
Key facts
- Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concluded with Japanese fighter aircraft operating from Indian soil for the first time.
- JASDF Chief of Staff General Takehiro Morita flew a sortie in a twin-seat variant of India's indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, calling it a symbol of India's technological innovation.
- IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh led a Tejas formation flight during the exercise and described Japan as an 'Apatsu Mitram' — a friend in times of crisis.
- The exercise was held at Jodhpur Air Force Base.
- In 2024 India and Japan signed their first joint defence equipment project — co-development of the UNICORN mast system for Indian Navy warships.
- The UNICORN mast integrates radar and communication antennas into a single structure, reducing a warship's radar signature while improving efficiency.
- Other India-Japan service exercises: Dharma Guardian (armies), JAIMEX (navies) and the multilateral MILAN exercise.
- Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on maritime security cooperation covering maritime domain awareness, information sharing and HADR.
Timeline
- 2024India and Japan sign their first joint defence equipment project — co-development of the UNICORN mast system for Indian Navy warships.
- Recent (date not stated in the source)Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visits India; a Memorandum of Arrangement on maritime security cooperation is signed with Rajnath Singh.
- 2026Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concludes at Jodhpur; Japanese fighter jets operate from Indian soil for the first time and JASDF chief flies a Tejas sortie.
Who has a stake
- Indian Air Force — Demonstrates interoperability with a major Indo-Pacific air force and showcases the operational maturity of the indigenous Tejas.
- Japan Air Self-Defense Force — First deployment of its fighter aircraft to Indian soil; deepens operational reach and trust with India.
- Air Chief Marshal AP Singh (IAF Chief) — Led a Tejas formation flight; framed Japan as a crisis-time friend, signalling strategic trust.
- General Takehiro Morita (JASDF Chief of Staff) — Flew a twin-seat Tejas sortie, publicly endorsing India's aerospace innovation.
- Indian Navy — Beneficiary of the co-developed UNICORN mast, which lowers warship radar signature and improves combat effectiveness.
- Indian defence industry / Make in India — Potential co-development and co-production with Japanese firms in transport aircraft and maritime patrol platforms for domestic and export markets.
- Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh and Shinjiro Koizumi — Steering maritime security cooperation, mine countermeasures, shipbuilding, ship repair and joint defence research.
Why it matters
The first operation of Japanese fighter jets from Indian soil shows that India-Japan defence ties have moved from symbolic exchanges to genuine operational interoperability among two Quad partners. It also positions India's indigenous Tejas as a platform respected by an advanced air force, and opens pathways for co-development in aerospace, maritime patrol and next-generation combat aviation. For the Indo-Pacific, it signals deepening security alignment amid shared regional concerns.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Veer Guardian — India-Japan air exercise (IAF and JASDF); 2026 edition held at Jodhpur Air Force Base.
- Dharma Guardian — India-Japan army exercise; JAIMEX — India-Japan naval exercise; MILAN — multilateral naval exercise.
- UNICORN mast: first India-Japan joint defence equipment project (2024), integrates radar and communication antennas to cut warship radar signature.
- India and Japan are Quad members committed to a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
- India-Japan agreements include a Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services pact and an accord on protecting classified military information.
- Japan's Global Combat Air Programme is its sixth-generation fighter initiative; India is also in talks with France on the Future Combat Air System.
Mains framing
India-Japan defence cooperation has evolved from routine military exchanges into a comprehensive strategic partnership spanning operational drills, logistics, defence technology and maritime security. The drivers are shared concerns about regional security in a shifting Indo-Pacific, common membership of the Quad and a mutual commitment to a free, open and rules-based order. Veer Guardian 2026 — with Japanese fighters flying from Indian soil for the first time and the JASDF chief flying a twin-seat Tejas — demonstrates interoperability enabled by foundational agreements on equipment and technology transfer, protection of classified information and reciprocal provision of supplies and services. Technology cooperation has begun to deliver with the 2024 UNICORN mast project for the Indian Navy, while Japanese transport aircraft and maritime patrol platforms offer scope for co-development and co-production under Make in India, letting Japanese firms use India's manufacturing ecosystem for domestic and export markets. The recent Koizumi-Rajnath Singh Memorandum of Arrangement extends this to maritime domain awareness, information sharing, HADR, mine countermeasures, shipbuilding and reciprocal ship repair. The way forward lies in converting exploratory talks — including possible Indian participation in Japan's Global Combat Air Programme, alongside discussions with France on FCAS — into concrete co-development, while sustaining tri-service exercises that build habits of interoperability.
Key terms
- Exercise Veer Guardian
- Bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force; 2026 edition held at Jodhpur.
- JASDF
- Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the air arm of Japan's armed forces, headed by a Chief of Staff.
- Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
- India's indigenous fighter; its twin-seat variant was flown by the JASDF chief during the exercise.
- UNICORN mast
- Integrated mast merging radar and communication antennas to reduce a warship's radar signature; first India-Japan joint defence equipment project (2024).
- Apatsu Mitram
- Phrase used by IAF Chief AP Singh for Japan, meaning a friend in times of crisis.
- Global Combat Air Programme
- Japan's sixth-generation fighter initiative; possible Indian participation is at an exploratory stage.
Practice questions
- Examine how foundational agreements on logistics, technology transfer and information security have transformed India-Japan defence cooperation from exchanges into operational interoperability.
- Discuss the strategic significance of India-Japan military exercises (Veer Guardian, Dharma Guardian, JAIMEX, MILAN) in the context of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
- Assess the opportunities and challenges of India-Japan defence co-development and co-production under the Make in India framework, with reference to the UNICORN mast project.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.