IAF fighter jets land at Thai naval base en route Japan

The Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent, on its way to Tokyo for the inaugural joint air exercise between India and Japan, made a brief stopover at Thailand’s U-Tapao Naval Air Base on Sunday.

India’s Ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh received the IAF contingent which will participate in the maiden exercise ‘Veer Guardian 2023’ with Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) from January 12 to  26.

Officers from the Royal Thai Air Force and Navy were also present on the occasion.

Four Su-30 MKI, two C-17, and one IL-78 aircraft from the IAF and JASDF’s four Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighters and four F-15 aircraft will take part in the exercise.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com, Squadron Leader Avani Chaturvedi, one of the first three women fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF), will also be part of the exercise that kicks off at the Hyakuri Air Base this week.

Flying a Su-30, Chaturvedi is set to become the first IAF woman pilot to participate in an air exercise abroad as India and Japan go ahead with bolstering their defence cooperation to tackle joint responses to future threats in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The contingent is also scheduled to make a brief stopover in the Philippines before landing in Japan.

Also Read: Indian woman fighter pilot set to script history during exercises in Japan next week