India shows military might at Republic Day parade
TDT | Agencies
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India marked its 76th Republic Day yesterday with a grand military parade, a vibrant display of cultural heritage, and a dazzling musical performance at Kartavya Path.
The 90-minute celebration showcased India’s military might, cultural diversity, and artistic traditions, featuring fighter jets, transport aircraft, armored vehicles, missile systems, mounted soldiers, and performances by 5,300 artists.
President Droupadi Murmu and this year’s chief guest, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, arrived in a horse-drawn carriage to the sounds of a 21- gun salute fired by the army’s 172 Field Regiment using indigenous 105mm light field guns. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tribute to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial.
The parade commenced with a performance by 300 artists playing traditional Indian martial musical instruments, followed by a shower of flower petals dropped from Mi-17-1V helicopters.
Key highlights included a 160-member Indonesian military marching contingent and a 190-member band from Indonesia, the debut of the indigenous Pralay surface-to-surface missile (with a range of up to 500 km), the new locally developed Sanjay integrated battlefield surveillance system, a tri-services tableau emphasizing jointness, and a performance by 5,000 folk and tribal artists focusing on youth power, women’s empowerment, and artistic heritage.
The parade, commanded by Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar, General Officer Commanding, Headquarters Delhi Area, comprised 18 marching contingents, 15 bands, and 31 tableaux representing various states, union territories, ministries, and armed forces. General Kumar’s son Lieutenant Ahaan Kumar was also in action commanding the mounted column of the 61 Cavalry.
Prime Minister Modi hailed the parade on X (formerly Twitter) as “a vibrant display of India’s unity in diversity,” showcasing both cultural heritage and military prowess.
The military hardware on display included T-90 tanks, BMP-II Sarath infantry combat vehicles, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Pinaka multi-launcher rocket system, the BM-21 Agnibaan multiple-barrel rocket launcher, bridging systems, and the Akash weapon system.
Notably, Indonesia is in ongoing negotiations with India for the acquisition of the BrahMos missile system, with a potential deal estimated at around $450 million. If finalized, Indonesia would become the second foreign buyer of the missile after the Philippines.
The flypast featured 40 aircraft, including Rafale, Sukhoi-30, and Jaguar fighter jets, C-130J special operations aircraft, C-17 heavy-lifters, AN-32 transport aircraft, Apache attack helicopters, and Dornier-228 maritime surveillance planes.
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