The Indian Air Force conducted Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 with the air force of which country?

The correct answer is Air Force Station Jodhpur. The Ministry of Defence stated that the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Japan Air Self Defense Force concluded at Air Force Station Jodhpur, and it was also at Jodhpur that the two air chiefs came for Distinguished Visitor's Day and flew the indigenous Tejas. Gwalior is wrong because the release makes no mention of that base in connection with this exercise. Kalaikunda is wrong for the same reason; although it is a well known fighter base, it was not the venue named here. Sulur is wrong as well, because nothing in the release links the drill to that station. For the examination the safe method is to tie the name of the exercise to the venue named in the official release, which in this case is clearly Jodhpur.

The correct answer is F-2A. The Ministry of Defence release states that the Japan Air Self Defense Force participated in the exercise with the F-2A fighter aircraft, while the Indian Air Force deployed a mix of the Su-30 MKI, the Rafale and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. Option A is wrong because the release does not name that type among the Japanese aircraft at Jodhpur. Option C is wrong for the same reason, as no fifth generation Japanese fighter was reported in this drill. Option D is wrong because that older type is not mentioned anywhere in the release. Questions on joint exercises very often ask which aircraft each side brought, so it is worth memorising the Indian package and the single Japanese type together as one set of facts.

The correct answer is Nashik. The Ministry of Defence describes the smoke pods as a significant indigenous modification to the Hawk Mk132, developed in India at the Indian Air Force's Base Repair Depot, Nashik. The pods produce coloured smoke, so the team can paint the sky in the colours of the national flag: saffron, white and green.

Bengaluru, Kanpur and Chandigarh are not named in the release in connection with this modification, so options B, C and D are wrong. Take care not to confuse two different facts about the aircraft: the Hawk Mk132 itself is licence-manufactured in India by HAL, while the coloured-smoke modification was carried out at the IAF's own Base Repair Depot in Nashik. Questions on indigenisation in defence often ask about exactly this kind of detail.

The correct answer is 1996. According to the Ministry of Defence, SKAT was established in 1996 and holds the distinction of being the only nine-aircraft aerobatic team in Asia. Over its 30-year journey it has performed more than 800 displays in India and abroad, including international air shows in China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, the UAE and Dubai.

1982 is earlier than the year the ministry gives, while 2002 and 2011 are later and would not fit a team that has now completed 30 years, so options A, C and D are wrong. A quick check helps with questions like this: the release speaks of a 30-year journey up to 2026, which points back to 1996. Pair the founding year with the team's two headline distinctions, Asia's only nine-aircraft aerobatic team and the Ambassadors of the Indian Air Force.

The correct answer is Hawk Mk132. The Ministry of Defence says the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team flies nine distinctive red-and-white Hawk Mk132 aircraft, licence-manufactured in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). These jets have also been modified in India with smoke pods that produce coloured smoke, which let the team paint the sky in saffron, white and green.

HAL Tejas, Kiran Mk II and Pilatus PC-7 are aircraft names that often appear as distractors in defence questions, but the release names none of them as the aircraft of SKAT, so options A, C and D are wrong. When you revise, link the team to its aircraft and the aircraft to its manufacturer: Suryakiran, Hawk Mk132, HAL. Also note the number of aircraft in the display, nine, because SKAT is known as the only nine-aircraft aerobatic team in Asia.