Chief of Air Staff A. P. Singh said on Tuesday a strong air force was needed in the wake of emerging geopolitical uncertainties as he addressed the raising day of the Indian Air Force for the 92nd time.
"The current global security environment is in a state of constant flux and these ongoing conflicts have demonstrated an inescapable need to have a strong and capable Air Force," Chief of the Air Staff said.
The celebrations were held at the Air Force Station, Tambaram in Chennai. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan too graced the occasion. Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has to be ready to face any situation that throws up a challenge to the national interests.
"Adopting the latest technology along with innovative and out-of-the-box thinking will play a decisive role in today's multi-domain environment. In the years that went by, we became more empowered with better technology and achieved new levels of exploitation of systems and weapons. Aatmanirbharta in the field of defence R&D and manufacturing is our priority. Concrete steps have been taken to support Make in India initiatives by engaging MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, professionals, R&D institutes and academia, he added.". That Air Force Day 2024 -- 'Bhartiya Vayu Sena: Saksham, Sashakt, Aatmanirbhar' -- mirrors the aspirations of IAF is something pointed out by the Air Chief Marshal.
According to him, the Air Force Day is the time for air warriors to rededicate themselves in the service of the nation, introspect on the previous year, celebrate achievements, assess areas where improvement is needed, and realign to meet the current and future requirements. But, he said on last year's achievements, IAF has proved his mettle at various fronts. "One of our prime objectives is to deliver weapons, on target, on time, every time and this capability was aptly showcased during the firepower demonstration exercise 'Vayu Shakti' at Pokhran Range in February 2024. He said the successful conduct of the largest multi-national exercise on Indian soil 'Tarang Shakti' testified to India's air warriors being competent and professional.
On the occasion, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh reviewed the ceremonial parade.
The parade began with the marching-in of the President's Colours that are emblems of pride, unity, strength, and esprit-de-corps.
More melodious was the air as an all-services band show rendered patriotism within the air. Sharp, synchronous movements created by the Air Warrior Drill Team proved too much for the onlookers because they mesmerized the audience. There was an aerial display of various jets including Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, Sukhoi-30 MKI and Pilatus, all flying into various daring low-level aerobatic manoeuvres after the parade. Shades of the national flag danced in the skies above Chennai as the Suryakiran Aerobatics Team and the Sarang Helicopter Team caught the eye and imagination of the massive crowd with their breathtaking performances. Static display was also there and in it, were featured aircraft of the highest modernity- these included Light Combat Helicopter (Prachand), C-295 Transport aircraft, Akash Missile Defence System, Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-4, HTT-40 Trainer aircraft, and Rohini radar.
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