New Delhi A woman officer of the Indian Air Force will lead IAF’s marching contingent at the Bastille Day parade in France on July 14, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the guest of honour, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.
The marching contingents of the army and the navy along with an army band are also taking part in France’s National Day parade alongside their French counterparts, the officials said.
The 269-member tri-services marching contingent on Thursday left for France in two C-17 heavy-lifters from a front-line air base in Gujarat. Three Rafale fighter jets of IAF will also take part in the fly-past during the parade, an official statement said. The Rafale jets, a C-17 heavy-lifter, and an Il-78 refueller will leave for France on Friday.
The 68-member IAF contingent taking part in the parade will be led by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy, who is an Mi-17 pilot, said one of the officials cited above. Reddy led the 144-member IAF contingent at this year’s Republic Day parade in Delhi.
The army contingent will be led by Captain Aman Jagtap, while the naval contingent will be headed by Commander Vrat Baghel, the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}The army contingent will be led by Captain Aman Jagtap, while the naval contingent will be headed by Commander Vrat Baghel, the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“This year, both countries are celebrating 25 years of strategic partnership. The armies of both the countries have been participating in joint exercises and sharing their experiences. Over the years, India and France have become reliable defence partners,” the army statement said.
A French army contingent took part in the Republic Day parade for the first time in 2016 when then President Francois Hollande was the chief guest at India’s biggest ceremonial event in New Delhi.
National security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday held talks in Delhi with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron to firm up the agenda of Modi’s visit to France. “E. Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to Prez @EmmanuelMacron held in-depth talks with NSA Ajit Doval to prepare for PM @NarendraModi’s visit to France next week. Defence, energy, space, new technologies & more: we’re working on an ambitious agenda for the strategic partnership,” the French embassy in India tweeted.
The Macron government has given its go-ahead to defence major Safran to jointly design, develop, test, manufacture and finally certify an engine that is expected to power India’s twin engine advanced multi-role combat aircraft and the twin engine deck-based fighter for the navy, as previously reported by HT.
The army contingent taking part in the parade is from the Punjab Regiment, which is one of the oldest regiments in the service. “The troops of the regiment have participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-Independence operations. In World War I, they were awarded 18 Battle and Theatre Honours. The gallant soldiers fought in Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Palestine, Egypt, China, Hongkong, Damascus and France. In France, they took part in an offensive near Neuve Chapelle in September 1915 earning the Battle Honours ‘Loos’ and ‘France and Flanders’. In World War II, they earned 16 Battle Honours and 14 Theatre Honours,” the army statement said.
The French air force is expected to take part in a mega exercise to be hosted by IAF later this year. The exercise, named Tarang Shakti, will be the biggest multi-nation air exercise (12 global air forces are expected to participate) to be conducted on Indian soil and will involve fighter jets, military transport aircraft, mid-air refuellers and airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft.
IAF’s Rafale fighter jets debuted in an overseas exercise, Orion, held at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase in France from April 17 to May 5. The exercise involved the air forces of the host nation, the US, the UK, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain. From India, apart from four Rafales, two C-17 heavy lifters, two ll-78 refuellers, and 165 air warriors also took part.