Japan is testing its new high-tech fighter planes in a joint exercise with U.S. troops in the Northern Marianas Islands for the first time since the prototypes were made.

Japanese pilots have been testing the planes known as F2 in an uninhabited northernmost island of the Northern Marianas Islands, Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio reported Friday.

U.S. Air Force Major Michael Tomasulo of the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam was quoted as saying that the Japanese and American pilots have been testing their aerial combat skills in an operation dubbed "Cope North."

"This is a significant joint exercise for the two countries because this is the first time that the Japanese are using their F2 fighter planes, which were made by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and has similar features as the U.S. F16 fighter planes," he said.

The planes are designed for heavy air combats and can carry sophisticated bombs and weapons.