Indian Su-30MKI Lands in Japan for Bilateral Exercise

A Russian-origin fighter, the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker, touched Japanese soil for the first time in 47 years to take part in the first ever air exercise between these two countries.

The long-delayed Veer Guardian exercise will see Indian fighters being deployed to Japan for the first time. The event, scheduled to run Jan 12-26, will see four Indian Su-30MKIs train with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).

The Indian side will be led by Su-30MKI Squadron Leader Avni Chaturvedi. This is also reportedly the first time that a female fighter pilot will be leading the Indian fighter squadron in a bilateral exercise with a foreign partner.

The Su-30MKIs landed at Japan’s Hyakuri Air Base on January 10. These jets are from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) No. 220 Squadron based at Halwara in the northern state of Punjab. Two IAF C-17 Globemaster III airlifters and an Il-78 tanker accompanied the jets.

The C-17s transported personnel and equipment for the exercise, while the Il-78 provided refueling support to the Su-30MKIs. The jets made transit stops in Thailand and the Philippines on their way to Japan.

The Japanese side will be represented by four Mitsubishi F-2s (a Japanese development of the U.S.-built F-16 fighter) and four F-15J Eagle interceptors.

Veer Guardian was originally scheduled for 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian and Japanese air forces had carried out bilateral fighter training in 2019, code-named Shinyuu Maitri in India. Veer Guardian is the reciprocal training event in Japan.