PRAYAGRAJ: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Sunday unveiled a new ensign of the Indian Air Force, replacing the existing one that was adopted more than seven decades back. The IAF Chief released the new ensign at the 91st IAF Day celebrations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. In the new ensign, the IAF crest features in the top right corner.
Chief guest ACM Chaudhari while addressing the parade said, “We have not only circumvented challenges but also turned those challenges into opportunities. The current geopolitical landscape has provided us an opportunity to reduce dependency on imports by developing indigenous capability.” There were many firsts this year at the Air Force Day parade held at Air Force Station Bamrauli in Prayagraj.
The Air Force Parade was commanded, for the first time, by woman officer, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami. She already stands as the first woman officer of the IAF to command a combat unit. An all-women contingent comprising the newly inducted Agniveer Vayu women — also for first time — was made part of the parade. A flight of Garud commandos of the IAF, which completed 20 years of service recently, took part for the first time.
Among the aircraft on display and during flypast, the newly inducted C-295 transport aircraft made its maiden appearance. The 1960s’ legacy fighter MiG-21 Bison expectedly made its last appearance in an air display. The aircraft is slated to be phased out by 2025. The enthralling display by Sarang helicopter display team performed complex manoeuvres with five helicopters. It is the only five-helicopter display team in the world.
“Air Force operations extend worldwide, providing rapid mobility and global reach. This reach allows a nation to project air power beyond boundaries in the form of rapid deployment, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and peacekeeping missions,” said the Air Chief in his address. The theme for this year’s Air Force Day was ‘IAF — Air Power Beyond Boundaries.’
Various IAF Units were presented citations by the Air Chief for their exemplary work. The citations to four IAF units included 16 Squadron, 142 Helicopter Unit, 901 Signal Unit and 3 Base Repair Depot. An air display was performed on the banks of the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. A total of 108 IAF aircraft took part in the air display. In addition, there were Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters of the Indian Army, a P-8l aircraft of the India Navy and the Surya Kiran and Sarang display teams.
The IAF that took birth as the Royal Indian Air Force had the ensign comprising the Union Jack in the upper left canton and the RIAF roundel (red, white and blue) on the fly side. The IAF in a statement said that post-independence, the IAF ensign was created by replacing the Union Jack with the Indian Tri colour and the Royal Air Force roundels with the IAF Tricolour roundel.
A new lAF ensign better reflects the values of the force. The IAF Crest has the national symbol, the Ashoka lion on the top with the words Satyamev Jayate in Devanagari below it. Below the Ashoka lion is a Himalayan eagle with its wings spread, denoting the fighting qualities of the IAF.