India marked its 73rd Republic Day with full display of cultural diversity and military might in the grand annual parade in New Delhi’s Rajpath on Wednesday, which conluded with the largest-ever flypast, with the participation of 75 Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft. 

The flypast began with the ‘Dhwaj’ formation of four Mi-17 aircraft and concluded with 17 Jaguar fighter planes flying in the ‘Amrit’ formation to commemorate the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, or 75 years of independence.

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In another first this year, viewers could also see the cockpit of the aircraft on the screens at the parade venue as well as during the broadcast.

The flypast also included a ‘Vinaash’ formation of five Rafale aircraft flying in an arrowhead formation. There was also the ‘Tangail’ formation, which included one Dakota and two Dornier flying in Vic formation. This was a tribute to the Tangail airdrop operations of the 1971 War.

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There was also a Meghna formation of one Chinook and four Mi-17s.

The flypast began with the ‘Dhwaj’ formation with four Mi-17 aircraft, followed by ‘Rudra’ and ‘Rahat’ formations with four and five Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), respectively.

Among the other aircraft that displayed their might at the parade are Rafale, Indian Navy’s MiG29K, P-8I surveillance aircraft and Jaguar fighter jets.

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Earlier, the Indian Army showcased the evolution of the force’s uniforms and rifles during the parade. There were three contingents of the Army that wore uniforms and carried rifles from previous decades, while one wore the new combat uniform and carried the Tavor rifles. 

The contingents of the various security forces were followed by tableux from states and different government initiatives. They were based on different themes. The parade also consisted of about 480 dancers who performed on various genres.