Indian pilots, together with their Japanese counterparts, conducted joint aerial exercises in the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki. As he writes “military review”, it was the first joint exercise of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and the Indian Air Force.

The exercises took place from January 16 to 26 at Hyakuri Air Base. Indian side headed the wife is Avni Chaturvedi, commander of the Su-30 squadron. From India, four Indian-assembled Su-30MKI aircraft, two Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft and one Il-78 took part in the exercises.

The Japanese side was presented by four F-2 fighters and four more F-15s.

During the exercises, maneuvers were practiced that simulated collisions with enemy aircraft. As noted by the Japanese side, the exercises provided a unique opportunity to assess the performance characteristics of the aircraft and see in practice what they are capable of.

It should be noted that the exercises are also conducted in order to strengthen the containment of China, which is increasing its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean. A Chinese Su-30 was spotted near Japanese airspace during an exercise: the Japanese side believes it was under surveillance.

According to Pankaj Mohan Singh of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command, the exercise was a success. The officer spoke highly of the skills of the Japanese and the pilots and said he planned to invite Japanese colleagues to similar exercises in late 2023, but now in India.

To read on the subject: Americans don’t like Turks working with Russian planes