New Delhi: The Republic Day parade on the Rajpath this year will see the “grandest and largest” flypast ever with a total of 75 aircraft to mark the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations. The flypast will conclude with 17 jaguar fighter aircraft flying in the “Amrit” formation to commemorate the 75 years of Independence. “The flypast this year will be the grandest and largest with 75 aircraft from IAF, Army and Navy flying during the Republic Day parade. This is in line with the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations,” IAF PRO Wing Commander Indranil Nandi said at a press briefing on Monday.
“The flypast will include Tangail formation which will have 1 Dakota and 2 Dornier flying in Vic formation. This is a tribute to the Tangail airdrop operations of the 1971 War. There will also be Meghna formation of 1 Chinook and 4 Mi-17s,” he said. The flypast will begin with “Dhwaj” formation with 4 Mi-17 aircraft, followed by “Rudra” and “Rahat” formations with 4 and 5 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), respectively. Among the other aircraft that will display their might at the parade are Rafale, Indian Navy’s MiG29K, P-8I surveillance aircraft and Jaguar fighter jets.
India will celebrate its 73rd Republic Day on January 26 this year, honouring the historic date when the country completed its transition towards becoming an independent republic after the Constitution came into effect. As part of the celebrations, an annual Republic Day parade is held in Delhi’s Rajpath. Meanwhile, a contingent of five Central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, who will be chief guests for Republic Day 2022 celebrations, has arrived in Delhi to participate in the event.