Switching cockpits, an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot flew in a Japanese Air Force F2 ‘Viper Zero’ fighter jet during the ongoing Exercise Veer Guardian 2023 at the Hyakuri Air Base of Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) northeast of Tokyo.
The inaugural joint air exercise between India and Japan, which began on January 12 and will continue till January 26, has generated a lot of interest in Japan.
Four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 and one IL-78 aircraft from the IAF while four Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighters and four F-15 aircraft from JASDF are participating in the exercise.
As reported by IndiaNarrative.com, a large number of plane spotters, also known as ‘AvGeeks’, park themselves outside the air base located in the Omitama City of Ibaraki Prefecture every day to catch a glimpse of the Indian aircraft.
フランカー祭り！4機目はハイレート！
インド空軍スフォーイSu-30MKI たぶん日本で見れるのは最初で最後か？美しい機体ですなぁ！ #百里基地 #f4fantom #ファントム #su30mki #フランカー pic.twitter.com/PVQWdfKpB4— ginof355 (@ginof355) January 19, 2023
The exercise is another step in deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation between the two countries.
The inaugural edition includes the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces. They are undertaking multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and exchanging best practices.
Also Read: Japanese air base turns into AvGeek paradise during air exercise with India
