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Republic Day Parade: IAF fly-past puts up stunning show at Kartavya Path | Watch
President Droupadi Murmu led the Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was the special guest.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) displayed a stunning fly-past on Sunday as part of India's official celebration of its 76th Republic Day at the grand parade on New Delhi's Kartavya Path. President Droupadi Murmu led the celebrations, accompanied by her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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During the Republic Day Parade, the IAF contingent comprising four officers and 144 personnel was led by Sqn Ldr Mahender Singh Garati, with Flt Lt Nepo Moirangthem, Flt Lt Damini Deshmukh & Fg Offr Abhinav Gorsi being supernumerary officers. It was followed by a fly-past by three MiG-29 aircraft in ‘Baaz Formation’.
The ‘fly-past’ was one of the most eagerly awaited parade events. The guests witnessed a breathtaking air show by 40 aircraft/helicopters, including – 22 fighter jets, 11 transport aircraft and seven helicopters – IAF. These included Rafale, Su-30, Jaguar, C-130, C-295, C-17, AWACS, Dornier-228 & An-32 aircraft and Apache & Mi-17 helicopters.
They displayed a variety of formations, including Dhwaj, Ajay, Satluj, Rakshak, Arjan, Netra, Bheem, Amrit, Vajrang, Trishul, and Vijay. The concluding Vertical Charlie manoeuvre was performed by a Rafale fighter aircraft.
Armed forces parade
All three branches of the Indian Armed Forces -Army, Navy, and Air Force—marched with their respective contingents during the parade to put on a colourful, synchronous show.
Lt Ahaan Kumar led the first Army contingent leading the Mounted Column of 61 Cavalry. The 61 Cavalry is the only serving active Horsed Cavalry Regiment in the world. Other army contingents in the parade were the Brigade of the Guards, The Jat Regiment, The Garhwal Rifles, The Mahar Regiment, The Jammu & Kashmir Rifles Regiment, and the Corps of Signals, among others.
The Indian Navy contingent, consisting of 144 personnel, was led by Lt Cdr Sahil Ahluwalia as Contingent Commander and Lt Cdr Indresh Choudhary, Lt Cdr Kajal Anil Bharani & Lt Devender as Platoon Commanders.
The armed forces also displayed a tri-services tableau for the first time. It displayed a battlefield scenario demonstrating synchronised operations in land, water, and air, reflecting the synergy in multi-domain operations.
The parade culminated with the national anthem and the release of tri-colour balloons carrying banners with the official logo depicting 75 years of enactment of the Constitution in English and Hindi, the official language of the union.
