In the largest ever aerial display in the country, 75 aircraft flew past the Rajpath in Delhi to celebrate the 75th year of India's independence. The Indian Air Force, for the first time, has coordinated with public broadcaster Doordarshan to show recorded in-flight videos. Stunning bird's eye visuals of the formations and the aircraft flying above the clouds were telecast today. Large screens at the parade venue also showed the visuals live. Five recently acquired Rafale jets also participated in the display.
Vintage, as well as modern jets and helicopters like the Indian Navy's MiG29K, P-8I surveillance aircraft, Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Sarang, Apache and Dakota, displayed various formations, including Vinaash, Tangail, Rahat, Meghna, Eklavya, Rudra, Trishul, Tiranga, Vijay and Amrit. Aircraft from the army, navy and air force participated in the majestic display.
The flypast included the Tangail formation which saw one Dakota and two Dornier flying in Vic formation. This was a tribute to the Tangail airdrop operations of the 1971 War.
There was also a Meghna formation of 1 Chinook and four Mi-17s.
The flypast began with the "Dhwaj" formation with four Mi-17 aircraft, followed by "Rudra" and "Rahat" formations with four and five Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), respectively.
India is celebrating 73rd Republic Day today with the annual parade at Delhi's Rajpath showcasing its military prowess and cultural pageantry. This year's special celebrations are being observed as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' across the country.
The flypast concluded with 17 Jaguar fighter aircraft flying in the 'Amrit' formation to commemorate the 75 years of Independence.
The parade started at 10:30 am at Rajpath, half an hour later than usual for better visibility. Ahead of the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to India's fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial.
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