Air warriors raise bar amid challenges of Covid and border standoff

Ghaziabad: The preparations for the 88th raising day of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were held under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as the air warriors knew

Ghaziabad: The preparations for the 88th raising day of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were held under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as the air warriors knew they may be called to the border with China at short notice.

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The IAF on Thursday showcased its might with a scintillating display of frontline fighter aircraft in the air, while the air warriors showcased their discipline with a synchronous, albeit socially distanced, parade. Many who took part in the parade said it seemed like they were marching alone.

“We had to maintain more distance and one cannot see the person near them. I could not see the parade behind me. But it was the confidence in each other’s capability that carried us through,” said Group captain Sagar Madhukar Paranjpe, the parade commander.

He said training, precision, discipline and teamwork will help the force stronger and a force to reckon with.

“We are building capability and this (the parade) was a demonstration of a similar capability. The IAF chief said that the year was challenging with tension at the borders and also due to the pandemic. During these times we have been increasing our capability and not letting it come in our way. The josh is high among the boys and they always come up and rise to the occasion,” said Paranjpe.

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, in his address at the Hindon airbase, said the IAF had instituted various measures to counter the spread and minimise the disruption in functioning due to the pandemic.

“The tenacity and resolve of our air warriors ensured, that the IAF continued to retain its capability and capacity to undertake full scale operations, throughout this period,” he said.

The chief said the force had deployed transport and helicopter aircraft promptly during the lockdown to support Covid-19 related tasks pan-India and also flew almost 750 hours including many missions to bring back stranded Indians from across the globe.

“I would like to commend all warriors for the quick response, in the recent stand-off on our northern frontiers, when we deployed our combat assets at short notice to handle any eventuality, and provided proactive support to all the requirements of deployment and sustenance for the Indian Army,” he said.

Putting up the display of fighters and men and women of the Air Force in the time of the pandemic was challenging.

“It sure must have been a difficult to take a call on whether this event should happen or not. But once our chief took the call, we all stood up. Unlike previous years when we practiced for two months, this time it was just about 28 days,” said Squadron Leader Shivangi Rajawat, the officer who led the ‘Nishan Toli’ at the parade on Thursday.

There were 50 officers and 157 air warriors who were part of the parade on the 88th IAF Day. On the other hand, the frontline fighter jets including the Rafale dazzled the spectators with splendid air display.

Apart from the Rafale, there were fighter jets like Sukhoi-30s, Jaguars, Mirage 2000s, MiG-29s and Tejas LCA who took part in the flypast over the Hindon airbase. The Rafales, Su-30s and MiG-29s are among the aircraft deployed in the Ladakh theatre to deal with any provocation by the Chinese military.

The theme this year on the IAF Day was to ‘Innovate, Integrate and Intimidate.’

“We were flying Rafale, Tejas and Sukhoi-30 in a formation. This required a lot of practice and coordination and our manoeuvrers were aggressive. This happened for the first time. We hope to fly together not only in times of peace but also in any other situation. Rafale and Tejas flying together will definitely form a deadly combination,” said an officer who flew the Tejas LCA during the air show on Thursday.

“Tejas is indigenously built and it has amalgamation of some of the best technologies available among the different platforms. We were flying together to show the ability that we can operate in a composite manner. So, this was the message that was sent across to anyone who was watching it,” the officer, added.