JASDF chief’s Tejas sortie reflects faith and trust in Indian fighter: IAF chief

Jodhpur: Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said on September 20 that the Tejas sortie flown by Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Chief of Staff General Takehiro Morita reflects the “faith and trust” placed in India’s homegrown fighter aircraft, as the two air chiefs took Tejas sorties during Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 at Jodhpur.

Singh said Morita’s experience flying the indigenous fighter could open avenues for greater cooperation between the two air forces, including possible exchange programmes related to fighter training. He described the exercise as more than a conventional military drill, saying it was contributing to mutual learning, interoperability and deeper professional ties between Indian and Japanese air warriors.

The sortie came as Veer Guardian-2026 enters its final phase at Air Force Station Jodhpur. The exercise, being conducted from September 9 to 22, involves India's Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale fighters alongside Japan's F-2A aircraft.

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This year's exercise is particularly significant because it marks the first deployment of Japanese fighter aircraft to Indian soil. The presence of JASDF F-2As at Jodhpur provides both air forces an opportunity to conduct advanced operational missions and professional exchanges in an Indian operating environment.

For Tejas, the interaction carries significance beyond the exercise itself. A foreign air chief personally flying the aircraft provides an opportunity for India's indigenous fighter programme to gain international operational visibility, particularly among a technologically advanced Indo-Pacific partner.

The Tejas sortie also gave Singh and Morita an opportunity to discuss the wider evolution of India-Japan air-force cooperation. Singh emphasised that the relationship between the two air forces is institutional and extends beyond individual commanders, with future cooperation expected to build on the experience gained through exercises and professional exchanges.

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The IAF's participation in Veer Guardian includes a mix of frontline combat aircraft, while the exercise programme incorporates advanced operational missions, mission-planning activities, subject-matter exchanges and interaction on engineering and aerospace safety. These activities are intended to strengthen tactical proficiency and operational synergy.

The exercise also has a wider Indo-Pacific dimension. India and Japan share an interest in maintaining a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific, and increasingly sophisticated air exercises provide both sides with opportunities to improve interoperability and understand each other's operating procedures.

For India, the presence of Japanese F-2 fighters alongside Tejas, Su-30MKI and Rafale also demonstrates the growing complexity of bilateral air cooperation—from basic exchanges to fighter operations, tactical training and professional interoperability.

The development comes at a time when India is seeking to strengthen its indigenous aerospace industry and expand the international profile of its defence platforms. The Tejas programme remains central to that effort, although scaling production and meeting delivery timelines remain important challenges.

General Morita's flight, and Singh's subsequent assessment of the trust it represents, therefore give the Tejas programme a significant operational and diplomatic dimension: the aircraft is not only being developed for India's own combat fleet, but is increasingly being showcased through direct interaction with partner air forces.

As Veer Guardian-2026 progresses, the potential for fighter-training exchanges and deeper air-force cooperation could become one of the longer-term outcomes of the exercise, alongside the immediate gains in operational understanding and interoperability.

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