Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 Begins at Jodhpur with Japan

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) are holding a joint air drill. Its name is Veer Guardian-2026. The Ministry of Defence announced it on 8 September 2026. The drill is being held at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan. It runs from 9 September 2026 to 22 September 2026. The schedule covers fourteen days of flying. Veer Guardian is a bilateral exercise, so only two air forces take part in it.

The aircraft on the flight line

India has fielded a mixed package of front-line fighters. The LCA Tejas is the headline entry because it is designed and built in India. The Su-30 MKI and the Rafale fly alongside it. Japan has come with its F-2A fighter. A question paper usually asks for this pairing of aircraft, so learn the four names together.

What the two sides will practise

The air warriors of both countries will fly advanced operational missions. Crews will also sit together outside the cockpit. The programme has three professional blocks. Mission planning conferences let the two sides build a common air picture before a sortie. Subject matter expert exchanges put specialists of one air force in front of the other. Engineering teams and aerospace safety teams hold their own interaction, since servicing a fighter and keeping a flying programme safe are as important as the flying itself.

Why the exercise matters for the exam

Defence diplomacy is a standing question area. Veer Guardian-2026 is read as a marker of the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Tokyo. Tactical skill rises when pilots meet an unfamiliar aircraft and an unfamiliar tactic. Operational synergy rises when two air forces learn each other's drills, words and safety rules. For an aspirant the safe set of facts is the name of the drill, the two air forces, the venue, the dates and the aircraft each side has brought.