IAF to increase planes and copters at fly-past on Air Force Day on October 8

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 5

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will increase the number of planes and helicopters which will participate in the Air Force day parade and fly past on October 8. 

This will include the debut of the French-origin Rafale fighter jet at the fly-past. The first lot of five planes was inducted into the IAF last month and is based in Ambala.

A total of 56 planes and copters will be part of the flying display; this is up from the 51 planes and copters which participated in the flying display last year to mark the day, an IAF official told the media on Monday morning.

The Air Force Day flypast is conducted each year over the Hindon air base, some 20 km east of the national capital.

The 56 planes will include Indian light combat aircraft (LCA), Tejas, besides the US made and Russian planes in the IAF inventory. IAF officials said there would be a Rafale in flying display and another Rafale on static display at the Hindon base.

In all there will be a total of 19 fighter jets like the Tejas, Rafale, Sukhoi 30 MKI, MiG 29, MiG 21, Jaguar and Mirage 2000. Nineteen more helicopters like the Mi17, Chinook and Mi 35 will be participating.

The seven transport planes would include C-17 and C-130 planes. The Surya Kiran aerobatics display team will have nine planes and two vintage planes – the Tiger moth and Dakota.