The Indian Air Force will feature a special 'Sindoor' formation as the centerpiece of its Republic Day flypast on Monday.
The 'Sindoor' formation will comprise two Rafale jets, two MiG-29s, two Su-30s and one Jaguar aircraft. All these fighters had participated in Operation Sindoor launched by India on May 7 to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and POK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The formation will demonstrate the precision that embodies the IAF's theme "Achook, Abhedya va Sateek".
Other formations that will be showcased in the flypast include Dhwaj, Prahar, Garuda, Arjan, Varuna and Vajrang.
Wing Commander Rajesh Deshwal said, "In the flypast, we have a total of 29 aircraft, of which 16 are fighter aircraft, four transport aircraft and nine helicopters."
Besides the fighters, the other platforms to feature in the flypast are Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), Apache choppers, the Indian Navy's P8I maritime surveillance aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters.
The IAF is the lead service for conduct of all ceremonial events related to the 77th Republic Day celebrations. The overall Republic Day parade will be a display of India's military might including elite marching contingents, missiles and indigenous weapon systems.
President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be the chief guests at the parade.
A total of 30 tableaux -- 17 of states/Union territories and 13 of ministries/departments/services -- will roll down the Kartavya Path in New Delhi. With a broad theme of 'Swatantrata ka Mantra: Vande Mataram' and 'Samriddhi ka Mantra: Atma Nirbhar Bharat', the tableaux will showcase a unique mix of 150 years of national song Vande Mataram and the nation's rapid progress on the back of the growing self-reliance across sectors, steeped in its rich and vibrant cultural diversity.
Defence Secretary R K Singh earlier said the 77th Republic Day celebrations would see "many firsts". He said that key indigenous assets would advance in sequence, beginning with reconnaissance elements, followed by logistics units. "This new format seeks to make the parade-watching more engaging for spectators. The aerial component will also be shown in battle array formation," he said.
As earlier reported by The New Indian Express, cutting across the boulevard along the Kartavya Path will be some of the country's most formidable indigenous systems, including the BrahMos, Akash air defence system, medium range surface-to-air missiles, advanced towed artillery gun system, Dhanush artillery gun, and Shaktiban, alongside a display of select drones.
There will also be 18 marching contingents, 13 military bands, animal units, and the newly formed Bhairav battalion. Traditional "VVIP" labels for enclosures have been dropped in favour of river names. Beating Retreat seating will be named after musical instruments.