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Japan’s F-2A Fighters Deploy in India for Veer Guardian-2026

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 10:32 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh led a Tejas formation flight with Japan’s General Takehiro Morita.
The sortie marked the first time an Asian air-force chief flew India’s indigenously built Tejas fighter.
It also represented the inaugural deployment of Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2A fighters on Indian soil.
Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 runs September 9-22 at Air Force Station Jodhpur, with the formation sortie lasting about 20-25 minutes.

History

Historical Context

India’s indigenous Tejas fighter first flew in 2001 and entered IAF service in 2015, marking the country’s shift to home-grown combat jets. Building on the 2001 Japan-India maritime drill, the two nations now conduct joint sorties—Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh and Japan’s Takehiro Morita led a Tejas and an F-2A deployment during Exercise Veer Guardian 2026, highlighting expanding defense interoperability.

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Story summary

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh led a Tejas formation flight with Japan’s General Takehiro Morita.
The sortie marked the first time an Asian air-force chief flew India’s indigenously built Tejas fighter.
It also represented the inaugural deployment of Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2A fighters on Indian soil.
Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 runs September 9-22 at Air Force Station Jodhpur, with the formation sortie lasting about 20-25 minutes.

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