Veer Guardian 2023 is the first showcase of the best dogfighters in Japan as the first-ever Indo-Japanese air-combat training. The air maneuvers will be held as a ten-day drill that starts on January 16 is underway.

Veer Guardian 2023 in Japan

Bases that serve as venues are the Ibaraki and Iruma Airbases located in the Prefectures of Ibaraki and Saitama, where the units will practice air combat, The EurAsian Times reported.

Showcased in the upcoming air drill is the participation of the Indian Air Force (IAF) sending unit of four Su-30 MKI fighter jets (Russian Flankers) with two C-17 cargo transport, IL-78 aerial tanker, and lastly, 150 Indian troops, states Military Today.

The host, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), will have four F-2s and the same number of F-15 Eagle superiority fighters, per Air Force Technology.

By comparison, the Eagle and Flanker have the rep as top-notch air superiority jets and are well suited for close-in dogfights of the 4th generation of fighters.

Best Dogfighters Square Off in Drills

IAF employs the Indian MKI variant, a multi-mission and dedicated air-to-air combat specialist with dual engines, a capable dual seater aircraft that can be an interceptor, bomber, and for training.

The Sukhoi 30 is equipped with Lyulka AL-31FP turbofan engines; the wings are 14.7 m, making it a big Russian plane. Modifications have been applied to the Indian variant based on the IAF needs.

Eagle has two engines and is capable of being a multi-role striker aircraft, also a two-seater, high speed, with long-range that includes all-weather performance. Its powerplant is the Pratt &Whitney F-100 PW Turbofans.

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It has a sweeping wing shoulder layout made for transonic performance and has a 13-meter wingspan, smaller than the Su-30. One of the most successful US fighters built, but it's getting obsolete. Both are high-speed interceptors, but the Indian Russian-based jet is slower than the American jet that travels at Mach 2.5. The Eagle exceeds the range with 3,900 versus 3,000 kilometers of the Flanker.

Critical is the 12 hard points for mounting equipment and armament, which is the same for both. Either has a lot of weapons to select from.

Specific Armament Comparison of the Two Fighters

The Eagle carries eight AMRAAMS, Sparrows (medium range), and four Sidewinders used at shorter ranges. SU-30 can use move types of missiles of the Kh-29, Kh-31, Kh-59, and then Nirbhay.

More shows the IAF jet can use indigenous BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles with KAB-type bombs and the Vympel R-series of air-to-air missiles. Indian variants are capable of equipping with Israeli and French equipment that is not like Russian Su-30 Flankers.

Japanese pilots will be squaring off with the 3-D vector thrust the MKI-versions that will be advantageous in close dog fighting in air combat situations. This 3-D vectoring allows unpredictable movement for the Flanker compared to the not so equipped F-15, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Experts think that China's invading Taiwan will pull Tokyo in because it is close to the Japanese islands. But the US has promised to defend Taipei, which will pull the JASDF to be involved, not by choice. It will be a near-peer battle, and the Indian Su-30 is an intro to their capabilities. Officials of Japan say that Veer Guardian 2023 is learning about the best dogfighters rather than prepping for China.

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