IAF to display its splendour on Jan 26

NEW DELHI, JAN 18: Thirty one aircraft, including the Sukhoi, MiG-29 and Jaguar fighter planes, will take part in a spectacular fly past ...

NEW DELHI, JAN 18: Thirty one aircraft, including the Sukhoi, MiG-29 and Jaguar fighter planes, will take part in a spectacular fly past planned by the Indian Air Force at the Republic Day parade on January 26 this year.

For the first time, the Indian Navy with three Kamov helicopters flying in `vic’ formation and three Tu-142 doing echelon/vic formation, will join the IAF for the grand finale of the parade on Raj Path.

Four Mi-17 helicopters will fly with the national and service flags and drop petals and they would be followed three kms behind by the Kamovs. In `big boy’ formation will come one Il-76, two An-32s and two Dorniers with the three Tu-142s, two minutes behind, chasing them.

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A batch of six Jaguars and six MiG-29s will hurtle past in `shock wave’ formation and on their trail will be three of the IAF’s most modern Su-30s which will come in straight and level flypast in a `vic’ formation.

A vertical charlie by either a Su-30 or MiG-29 in front of the dais will be a thrilling highlight of thefly past. Newly appointed Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal T M Asthana, told newspersons that the IAF’s marching contingent will comprise 144 airmen and four officers led by Squadron Leader Ravuri Sheetal.

The vehicular column will have on display `Lakshya’, the indigenously designed, developed, manufactured and cost-effective pilot target aircraft (PTA) which has been offered to the IAF by the DRDO after extensive trials.

The highly mobile surface-to-air guided weapon system OSA-AK-M, the Mi-35 assault helicopter, being showed for the first time, MiG-27 fighter bomber and Jaguar will be also rolled in on vehicles.