Air Force Day: 80 IAF aircraft, five display teams to set Chandigarh skies on fire

Chandigarh, October 4

As many as 80 military aircraft and at least five display teams will participate in the flypast being held over the Sukhna Lake here to mark the Air Force Day on October 8.

The flypast will commence with the ‘ensign’ formation, comprising three Mi-17 helicopters trailing the Tricolour, Air Force flag and the Western Air Command flag, after President Droupadi Murmu arrives at the venue.

This will be followed by the first public display by three indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) — Prachand — which were formally inducted into the IAF at Jodhpur on October 3.

The participating aircraft are staging from different airbases. Fighters include the MiG-21, MiG-29, Su-30, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, Tejas and Rafale, while other aircraft include the C-17, C-130, IL-76, AN-32, Embraer AWACS, Mi-17, Apache, Mi-35, Dhruv and Chinook.

Another novel formation is ‘Sekhon’, dedicated to IAF’s sole Param Vir Chakra recipient Flt Lt Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon. It comprises a Rafale, Jaguar, Tejas and Mirage 2000, with the Rafale breaking away in front of the dais and doing a ‘Vertical Charlie’ to symbolise the “missing man”.

The ‘globe’ formation, comprising a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft trailed by nine Hawk-132 jet trainers from the Surya Kiran display team and joint aerial manoeuvring by a Rafale, Su-30 and Tejas in the ‘transformer’ formation are other attractions of the air show.

Two IAF’s vintage aircraft, a Harvard piston engine twin-seater combat aircraft that served with the erstwhile Royal Indian Air Force and then during the early years of the IAF, and a C-47 Dakota, a transport aircraft that flew with the IAF from 1946 to 1988, will also make an appearance. Both have been restored to flying condition.

After the flypast, the Surya Kiran team, comprising nine jets, Sarang helicopter display team, comprising four Dhruv helicopters, and a Para-Motor display will enthral spectators.

A demonstration by the IAFs’ Akash Ganga skydiving team, helicopter firefighting operations using a ‘bambi bucket’, manoeuvring display and under-slung operations by Chinook helicopters are also part of the show.

Flying machines to watch out for

Fighters

Rafale, Tejas, Mirage 2000, Su-30, Jaguar, MiG-29

Heavy-lift

C-17 Globemaster, C-130, IL-76, AN-32, Mi-17, Chinook

Showstoppers

Surya Kiran | Sarang | Akash Ganga | Para-Motor | Garud

Showcasing military prowess at sukhna

• Almost all types of fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters in the IAF inventory to participate in event at Sukhna
• Exception will be the Dornier and Avro transport aircraft, besides the Cheetah and Chetak choppers
• Two vintage aircraft — twin-seater Harvard and transport aircraft C-47 Dakota — will be part of show