Exercise Veer Guardian 2026: Japanese F-2As at Jodhpur

What Japan has announced

Japan's official plan assigns three F-2A fighter aircraft to the training. About 110 personnel from the 8th Air Wing at Tsuiki are involved. Deployment and return activities cover a longer period around the exercise. The stated training focus is air-combat manoeuvring.

Japanese C-2 transport aircraft supported the journey to Rajasthan. Long-distance movement tests planning, maintenance and supply alongside flying skills. Ground crews must keep unfamiliar aircraft serviceable away from their home base. Such deployment experience is an important operational result.

The Japanese schedule lists training from 9 to 21 September. Indian reporting has described the broader activity through 22 September. The difference may reflect arrival, closing or administrative activity. The official Japanese training dates provide the clearest comparable period.

Background to Veer Guardian

The first Veer Guardian fighter exercise took place in Japan during January 2023. India sent Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters, supported by transport and refuelling aircraft. Japan fielded F-2 and F-15 fighters. Crews practised air defence, interception and visual or beyond-visual-range combat.

Pilots also flew in each other's fighter aircraft during that first edition. The relationship has since expanded through service-level exchanges and other joint training. Defence ministers welcomed the first Japanese fighter deployment to India in August 2026. The new location therefore reflects planned reciprocity.

India and Japan describe their relationship as a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Security cooperation covers maritime awareness, logistics, exercises and defence technology dialogue. Both countries also work with Australia and the United States in the Quad. A bilateral drill nevertheless remains separate from a four-country operation.

Why Jodhpur is suitable

Jodhpur lies in western Rajasthan within India's arid zone. Parts of the district extend into the Thar Desert. Nagaur lies east, Jaisalmer west, and Bikaner north of the district. Barmer and Pali adjoin it towards the south.

The dry, open setting supports extensive military flying areas. Heat, dust and long distances also test crews and machinery. Japan's home operating environment is very different. Training in Rajasthan therefore adds climatic and logistical experience.

Jodhpur is not directly on the international boundary. However, western Rajasthan forms an important operational region near Pakistan. Exercise descriptions do not identify any third country as a target. Strategic context should not be turned into an unsupported scenario.

What bilateral fighter training can achieve

Aircraft with different designs cannot cooperate safely without common procedures. Pilots need agreed communication, formation and airspace rules. Ground controllers must build a shared operational picture. Repeated sorties allow both sides to compare decisions under time pressure.

The F-2 and Indian fighters have different sensors and support systems. Exercises reveal how much information can be exchanged without exposing protected data. Debriefing can identify differences in doctrine and terminology. These lessons improve interoperability during later humanitarian or security operations.

An exercise is not proof of combat readiness in every situation. Weather, scenarios and safety rules shape what is tested. Neither side has published detailed performance scores. Public assessment should therefore focus on participation, objectives and verified activities.

Conclusion

Veer Guardian 2026 brings the bilateral fighter exercise to India for the first time. Japanese F-2 aircraft and personnel gain experience in Rajasthan's demanding environment. Indian crews gain direct exposure to Japanese methods and operating culture. Real value will emerge through debriefing, safety and repeatable procedures. The exercise deepens cooperation without changing either country's independent command.