Air Force flypast to reenact Operation Sindoor strike on Republic Day
Highlighting the role played by it in Operation Sindoor last year, an IAF formation flying named ‘Sindoor’ will feature in the upcoming Republic Day fly past at the Kartavya Path.
The formation includes Rafale, Su-30, Jaguar and MiG-29 fighter jets serving as a powerful symbol of the dominance the IAF established during the four-day hostilities with Pakistan last May. All these aircraft took part in Operation Sindoor.
Spectators at the Kartavya Path will witness a breathtaking fly past. In total, 29 aircraft, including four transport planes and nine helicopters, will be part of the fly past, officials said here on Thursday.
The platforms will display a variety of formations including Sindoor, Dhwaj, Prahar, Garud, Arjan, Varuna and Vajrang.
The fly past will also carry the flag of Operation Sindoor to commemorate India’s high-precision tri-services military campaign against Pakistan from May 7 to 10, the officials said. The Sindoor formation will comprise two Rafale jets, two MiG-29s, two Su-30s and one Jaguar aircraft.
The other platforms to feature in the fly past are Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), Apache choppers, Indian Navy’s P8I maritime surveillance aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters. A huge special formation will be dedicated at the fly past to commemorate Operation Sindoor, the officials said.
In response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, carrying out air strikes on terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan.The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10 evening.
During the military strikes, Indian forced killed over 100 terrorists in just 23 minutes. Most of those eliminated belonged to terror outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. The air strikes also devastated several key air bases of Pakistan.
India will celebrate its 77th Republic Day on Monday with a grand display of its military might that will include elite marching contingents, missiles, indigenous weapon systems.President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be the chief guests at the parade.
Meanwhile, for the first time, nine women Agniveer will be part of the Indian Air Force’s band contingent that will march down the Kartavya Path during the 77th Republic Day Parade playing music, according to officials.
At a briefing held here, the IAF also announced that Flt Lt Akshita Dhankar will unfurl the national flag alongside President Droupadi Murmu at the ceremonial parade on January 26.
The IAF band, led by Sergeant Charles Antony Daniel, will complement the 144-member marching contingent of the air force, which will be led by Squadron Leader Jagdesh Kumar.Squadron Leader Nikita Choudhary and Flight Lieutenants Prakhar Chandrakar and Dinesh Murali will be serving as supernumerary officers in the IAF contingent.
The IAF band will play several tunes, including ‘Nidar Yodha’ and ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha’, before reaching the Saluting Dias. It will perform ‘Sound Barrier’ in front of the dais, and after moving past it, the ‘Ladakoo’ tune.The sesquicentenary of ‘Vande Mataram’ is the dominant theme of the parade this year.
