1,000-drone show adds dash of dazzle to Beating Retreat
The 10-minute drone show was organised by a startup, Botlab Dynamics, supported by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the department of science and technology (DST). Only the US, Russia and China have the capability to put together a show with 1,000 drones.
A 1,000-drone display, the grand finale of the Beating Retreat on Saturday and a first at the ceremony, was the highlight of the musical extravaganza that featured a raft of military bands that belted out patriotic tunes and marked the end of Republic Day celebrations.
In a never-before-seen display in India’s history, the drone fleets positioned themselves into breath-taking formations to depict the 75th year of India’s Independence, the ‘Make-in-India’ lion, the National War Memorial, Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution, a rotating globe, a map of India and the tricolour.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari and navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were among those who attended the ceremony.
The 10-minute drone show was organised by a startup, Botlab Dynamics, supported by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the department of science and technology (DST). Only the US, Russia and China have the capability to put together a show with 1,000 drones.
The show marked the culmination of six years of hard work, said Dr Sarita Ahlawat, one of the three co-founders of Botlab Dynamics and a 3-D imaging expert with advanced degrees from the US.
“The whole country is talking about the show. I think it’s a celebration of technology and what it can do. The project was possible because of the unwavering support from IIT, Delhi and DST. I also hope it draws the attention of policy makers so that we can further strengthen our capabilities on the hardware and technology side and achieve more,” she said.
For the first time, the show was made a part of Beating Retreat to commemorate 75 years of Independence, being celebrated as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The demonstration of the indigenous swarm drone technology came at a time when the armed forces are looking at exploiting the capability to carry out offensive missions in enemy territory, with loitering munitions being developed to meet a key military requirement and keep soldiers out of harm’s way.
Surveillance and armed drone swarm figure on a new list of Make in India projects that the army plans to pursue in partnership with the industry.
“The whole world watched as India demonstrated its drone swarm technologies. It’s a big leap as we are working on developing drones for offensive roles. Such drones may carry small payloads but they can overwhelm the enemy’s air defences and hit multiple targets,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), who heads the Centre for Air Power Studies.
Chopra said it was the “grandest” Beating Retreat ceremony he had ever seen and the way it had been conducted should put to rest the unnecessary controversy over the addition or removal of tunes played by the military bands.
Abide With Me, a decades-old staple tune at Beating Retreat and said to be Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite, was dropped from the musical line-up, a move that drew criticism from some quarters in the run-up to the ceremony.
The 26 performances at the ceremony included Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon and Hind Ki Sena. Military buglers played the iconic patriotic song Sare Jahan Se Acha in the end.
Beating Retreat featured bands from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Central Armed Police Forces, apart from buglers and pipes and drums bands. The ceremony involved lowering of the flags against the backdrop of the setting sun and a simultaneous lighting up of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, South Block, North Block and Parliament House.
Another attraction was a projection mapping show on the walls of the North Block and the South Block to depict the contribution of India’s prominent freedom fighters as well as the armed forces.
