Japan Air Force chief flies in Tejas jet, hails progress in defence partnership

Why in the News

The Chief of the Air Staff and the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) Chief of Staff have flown together in a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas formation at Jodhpur. The sortie took place during Veer Guardian 2026, the second edition of the India Japan bilateral air exercise, held at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 9 to 22 September. JASDF F-2A fighters have operated from Indian soil for the first time in this edition. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is flying Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale aircraft alongside them. The significance is that a visiting air chief flying an Indian designed fighter turns a training exercise into a statement about that aircraft’s credibility as an export. The two chiefs have separately pointed to the space domain as the next area of cooperation.

What is Veer Guardian 2026?

1. What it is: Veer Guardian is the bilateral air combat exercise between the Indian Air Force and the JASDF, flown between fighter squadrons of the two air forces.
2. Editions: The first edition was held in January 2023 at air bases in Japan, and the second is being held at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 9 to 22 September 2026.
3. A first for the JASDF: Japanese fighter aircraft have operated from Indian soil for the first time in this edition.
4. Aircraft fielded: The IAF is participating with Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale fighters, and the JASDF has brought F-2A fighters.

Why does the Tejas sortie carry weight?

1. Who flew what: The Chief of the Air Staff led the formation in a fighter aircraft. The JASDF Chief of Staff flew in a trainer aircraft, with the Commanding Officer of the Tejas squadron as captain.
2. The stated reading: The IAF described the sortie as a clear example of the faith and trust placed in a homegrown aircraft.
3. Export signalling: A foreign air chief flying an Indian designed fighter is the strongest endorsement available short of a purchase order, and India has been offering the Tejas to several air forces abroad.
4. Industrial claim: The sortie was tied to a stated expectation that India’s defence aviation industry and its research and development base will now reach higher levels.

What does the partnership cover beyond tactical training?

1. Beyond tactics: The JASDF assessment is that the bilateral engagement has moved past exercises aimed merely at refining tactical capabilities.
2. Breadth of contact: Cooperation now runs across exercises, leadership interactions and subject matter exchanges.
3. The space domain: The space domain was named as a potential area of cooperation between the two air forces.
4. The stated frame: The partnership is described as resting on mutual respect, professional trust and a shared commitment to peace and stability, captured in the Japanese term kizuna, meaning enduring bonds forged through trust and support.

Challenges to the India Japan defence partnership

1. Constitutional limits on Japanese force projection: Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution and the self defence framing built on it bound how far the JASDF can commit to operations beyond Japan’s own defence. Eg. Japan’s 2022 National Security Strategy treated counterstrike capability as a new departure precisely because the earlier reading barred it.
   The Fix: Anchor cooperation in the areas the framework already permits, such as air defence training, logistics and space situational awareness.
2. No major equipment sale has concluded: The two states signed a defence equipment and technology transfer agreement in 2015, and no major platform sale has followed it. Eg. Negotiations on the ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft ran for years without a contract.
   The Fix: Begin with subsystem and component level transfers, which clear procurement thresholds faster than a whole platform deal.
3. Unit cost is the recurring obstacle: Japanese defence platforms carry high unit costs from small domestic production runs, which sits against Indian procurement’s price ceilings. Eg. The US-2 was quoted well above comparable options available to the Indian Navy.
   The Fix: Route any future purchase through co production in India under the Defence Acquisition Procedure, so volume brings the unit cost within the ceiling.
4. The China factor sets the pace: Both states manage large economic relationships with China, so each calibrates how much visible defence content the partnership carries. Eg. Japan remains one of China’s largest trading partners while contesting Chinese activity around the Senkaku islands.
   The Fix: Concentrate the partnership on defensive capability areas such as maritime domain awareness and anti submarine warfare training, which carry a lower escalation cost.
5. Indigenous platform delivery record: An export pitch for the Tejas is judged on deliveries rather than on a demonstration flight. Eg. Tejas Mk1A deliveries have run behind the contracted schedule because of engine supply delays.
   The Fix: Secure a second engine supply line and publish a delivery calendar, so a prospective export customer can price the delivery risk.

Conclusion

The exercise is the operational layer of a partnership that has been widening through agreements and dialogues for over a decade. What changed here is that the two air forces trained together on Indian built equipment on Indian soil, which neither had done before. The markers to watch are whether the space domain cooperation the two chiefs raised is converted into a stated work programme, and whether the next edition is scheduled in Japan on the same rotation.

Back2Basics: Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas

1. What it is: Tejas is a single engine, multirole light fighter, the smallest and lightest aircraft in its class in service anywhere.
2. Who built it: It was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
3. Induction: The IAF inducted its first Tejas squadron, No. 45 Squadron, in 2016.
4. Current variant: The Mk1A carries an active electronically scanned array radar and an electronic warfare suite, with 83 aircraft contracted in 2021 and a further 97 ordered since.

Matching Previous Year Question

“‘The time has come for India and Japan to build a strong contemporary relationship, one involving global and strategic partnership that will have a great significance for Asia and the world as a whole.’ Comment.”