Several residents around the Air Force Station in Yelahanka had their eyes glued to the sky, especially during the second half of Sunday. It was difficult for many to spot the aircraft, which whizzed past them and reduced to a speck in the sky within seconds. At the Air Force Station too, excitement was palpable ahead of the Aero India 2017, as several state-of-the-art aircraft arrived for display, during the biennial exhibition. According to a vendor, R Kishore, who resides in Yelahanka Old Town, the air show is like a carnival.
“For the next week, the days are going to be loud due to the jets that will be flying and performing stunts,” he said. Huddled a distance away from the shop was a group of children shouting with delight with the passing of every plane.
“We have seen grey fighter planes mostly. There were also red planes that displayed some aerobatics,” one of the children said, referring to the Suryakirans of the Indian Air Force. At the air base, several major weapons manufacturers participating in the display — Lockheed Martin, SAAB, Dassault Aviation, BAE and others — were preparing for the inaugural.
While aircraft such as Tejas by HAL and Gripen by SAAB were already set for display, there was audible excitement, as one of the controversial jets, Rafale, was pulled into position. Stephen, a representative of Dassault, said that visitors will be able to see Rafale fly three times a day every day from February 14.
Aerobatics: The Indian Air Force aerobatics display team ‘Suryakiran’, which is flying for the first time with Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) Hawks and the Sarang team that flies Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv will be among the major attractions on all days of the air show. Suryakiran team that was earlier flying with Kiran Mark II aircraft was disbanded after mishaps and aircraft were redeployed for training purposes. After six years, the team is back into formation flying and this time with more advanced and powerful aircraft — AJT Hawks.