India will mark this year its 73rd Republic Day with grand four days celebrations at Rajpath, Delhi. Beginning with the annual parade on 26th January to continuing the ceremony with air shows by the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force and ending the grand celebration with the Retreat ceremony on January 29.
This year with the grand parade we will see a total of 75 aircraft from IAF, Army and Navy flying above the sky. This will mark one of the largest flypast ever done on Republic Day.
The 75 aircraft will symbolize Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations that is the 75 years of Independence. There will be seven jaguar fighter aircraft flying in the “Amrit” formation.
The flypast will begin with a Dhwaj formation with four Mi-17 aircraft which is further followed by the formation of Rudra and Rahat with 4 and 5 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH).
It is also reported that apart from 75 aircraft flypast on January 26, a drone show on January 29 will be done to celebrate the Beating the Retreat ceremony, in which a show with 1000 drones will be displayed at the Vijay Chowk.
The Beating Retreat Ceremony is and old military tradition organised every year after the Republic Day Celebration on January 29 which marks the return of the Army to its barracks.
The drones which has been developed by Botlab Dynamics, an IIT Delhi start-up will mark the first one of such drones show of India. So far only three countries ( US Russia and China) have carried such similar displays using drones. The drone show will be presented with the help of IIT Delhi.