India displays military might at Republic Day parade
NEW DELHI : Anti-satellite weapon ‘Shakti’, lethal artillery gun ‘Dhanush’, and newly-inducted helicopters Apache and Chinook were among the key military assets showcased by India for the first time at the Republic Day parade on Sunday.
Scaled down models of IAF’s Rafale aircraft and Indian Navy’s Kolkata-class stealth destroyer and a Kalvari-class submarine were also displayed during the ceremonial event. A marching contingent of the Corps of Army Air Defence was also part for parade for the first time.
In the mechanised columns, three indigenously-developed battle tank T-90 Bhishma, three Ballaway Machine Pikate, three K-9 Vajra gun system, two transportable satellite terminal (TST) and two Akash surface-to-air-missiles, were also showcased.
The Apache and Chinook were among the main attractions as they flew across the clear blue sky, leaving the spectators spellbound. The helicopters, transport aircraft C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemasters, drew loud cheers from people as they showed their aerial manoeuvres.
US-made Chinook, twin-engine, tandem rotor is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel. The Chinook helicopter can airlift diverse, heavy loads in remote locations. It is a heavy lift, twin rotor helicopter which has significantly enhanced the Indian Air Force’s lift capability across a range of military and Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief or HADR missions.
Boeing India President Salil Gupte said it was an “incredible honour” for the US firm that three of Boeing’s state-of-the-art defence platforms, the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter, AH-64E Apache attack helicopter and CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter were part of the flypast parade on India’s Republic Day.
“There couldn’t have been a better day to showcase the might of these flying machines that help the Indian Air Force command the skies. Boeing has been a strong partner in the modernisation and enhancement of operational capabilities of India’s defence forces. We remain committed to this partnership,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by Boeing India.
Around 40 aircraft of the IAF and four helicopters of the Army’s aviation arm took part in the Republic Day flypast. After Apache came the ‘Eye in the Sky- Netra’ formation, comprising a single AEW&C flanked by two Su-30 MKIs. Thereafter, three C-17 Globemasters, in ‘displaced trail vic’ formation called ‘Globe’ formation flew past the dais, showcasing the IAF’s heavy lift capabilities.
Besides Rafale, the IAF tableau also depicted scaled-down models four other systems recently added to its inventory — indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), surface-to-air guided weapon Aakash missile and Astra missiles.
The Apache stealth attack helicopter, on the other hand, is a versatile combat helicopter, capable of firing air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, rockets and front gun aided by a fire control radar which can unleash a lethal attack on the adversary.
The two newly-acquired helicopter fleet have provided the Indian armed forces a significant edge against the enemy on the battlefield.
Flt Lt Shrikant Sharma led the 144-strong IAF contingent on Rajpath for the second time in a row, while Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar, an accomplished drum major, led the IAF band. Flt Lt Gagandeep Gill and Flt Lt Reema Rai were the two woman officers who headed the contingent. The flypast was conducted in two phases with 16 fighter jets, 10 transport aircraft and 19 helicopters.
Leading the ceremonial parade was the ‘Ensign’ formation comprising four Mi-17 V5 helicopters in an inverted ‘Y’ formation, also referred to as the ‘wineglass formation’. They were followed by the ‘Dhruv’ formation, comprising four Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) of the Army Aviation. This was the first phase of the flypast today.
The second and main phase commenced at the end of the ceremonial parade. This was led by the ‘Rudra’ formation of three ALH Mk-IV WSI helicopters of the IAF, flying in ‘vic’ formation.
(With Agency Inputs ).
