India as a sovereign democratic republic completed 75 years of its eventful journey on Sunday, with the stage set at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi for the ceremonial parade during which the country will showcase its military prowess and rich cultural heritage.
A breathtaking display cast a spell at the 12th edition of Aero India.
Ahead of the air show, a full dress rehearsal held at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad.
It crashed around 11:30 am with officials saying that it drifted away while descending and tumbled into a 'nallah' flowing nearby.
Air Force Day is celebrated to mark the day the IAF was established in 1932.
India's plan to sell the Advanced Light Helicopter to Myanmar threatens a European Union arms embargo to that country, Amnesty International claimed on Monday.
In a major setback to India's efforts to market its indigenous helicopters in the overseas market, a Dhruv helicopter sold to the Ecuadorian Air Force on Wednesday crashed in Quito during a military parade, leaving two of the pilots injured.
Rediff.com beings you glimpses of Navy Week celebrations in Mumbai.
An army helicopter, on air maintenance operations, crashed Monday morning in the icy heights of Siachen glacier but both the pilots survived the accident and were being evacuated for treatment, army sources said.
It was a brutal test of helicopter and pilot. As the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter shuddered towards the icy helipad on a 21,000-foot ledge overlooking the Siachen Glacier, the pilots could see wreckage from earlier helicopter crashes dotting the base of the vertical ice walls on either side.
Defence exports have grown by 334 per cent in the last five years and India is now exporting to over 75 countries due to collaborative efforts, the government said on Sunday. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a tweet: "The Indian Defence sector, the second largest armed force is at the cusp of revolution." "Defence exports grew by 334 per cent in the last five years; India now exporting to over 75 countries due to collaborative efforts," it said.
Dhruv qualified for high-altitude glacier flying with flying colours on February 15
The Advance Light Helicopter Dhruv helicopter of the Army Aviation Corps had taken off from Sewak Road Base in Siliguri at 10.30 AM, army sources said.
The 'Rudra' is the first weaponised chopper built in the country and will be inducted into the Army Aviation Corps in the current financial year, army officials said in New Delhi.
The flypast will begin with "Dhwaj" formation with four Mi-17 aircraft, followed by "Rudra" and "Rahat" formations with 4 and 5 Advanced Light Helicopters, respectively.
To enable Indian banks and financial institutions to develop an aircraft-leasing ecosystem at GIFT City, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought support from the Ministry of Finance. It has also raised concern over slow progress in developing aircraft leasing in India.
In a big relief to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, pilot error was found to have caused the crash of the India-made Advance Light Helicopter 'Dhruv' in Ecuador in October, a probe conducted in the United States and India into the mishap has revealed. The crash, during a military parade on October 28 in the South American country, injuring two pilots, was considered a major setback to India's efforts to market its indigenous helicopters overseas.
"The chief minister's helicopter has been located atop a hill 40 nautical miles, 73 kilometres east of Kurnool" This was the message everyone was waiting for since Wednesday when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's chopper went off the radar.
Before his departure, Putin visited software major Infosys on the outskirts of Bangalore and defence undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Co-pilot Squadron Leader Priye Sharma (32) died when the Dhruv advanced light helicopter crashed near a runway.
The gunfight, lasting more than an hour, took place at Jaddan Bata village in the Kastigarh area around 2 am when the terrorists opened fire on a temporary camp established in a government school for the ongoing search operation, they said.
The chopper has been validated for high-altitude, low temperature flying, required to maintain the supply lines for the Siachen region
Dhruv is a multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 tone weight class. It set a new world record by flying at an altitude of around 8,000 meters in the Himalayan mountain ridge.
A flight deck equivalent to the size of two football fields, standing tall at 18 storeys, kitchen equipment that could dish out 16,000 chapatis a day while the sentinel keeps an eye on the seas, 2,500 km long cable work -- INS Vikrant is a feature-packed addition to the Indian Navy.
Stepping up relief and rescue operations in Uttarakhand, the Union defence ministry has deployed more than 45 choppers belonging to the Army and the Indian Air Force there along with more than 10,000 troops in the rain-ravaged parts of the hill state.
The triennial exercise will take place for two hours and fifteen minutes during the day, dusk and night, he said.
The five-day event will include aerial displays by aircraft and helicopters along with a large exhibition and trade fair of aerospace and defence companies.
To showcase India's military might, one mounted cavalry and seven mechanised columns, eight marching contingents, Advanced Light Helicopters along with 10 military bands and 13 pipes and drums of the army will participate at the Republic Day parade this year.
'Our production capacity ramp-up initiatives are expected to meet the critical requirements of our armed forces.'
The LCH can provide our soldiers fire support in 15,000-16,000 feet-high contested areas like Depsang, Galwan and the heights north and south of the Pangong Tso, where Indian soldiers are facing off against Chinese intruders.
India on Thursday approved capital acquisition of a plethora of indigenously-developed military hardware including indigenous BrahMos missiles, marine diesel engine, artillery gun system, electronic warfare suits and utility helicopters at a cost of Rs 70,584 crore as part of a mega procurement plan.
India has flown in relief material, rescue teams and medical supplies to quake-hit Nepal.
Tapovan Hydro-Electric Power Dam, also known as Rishi Ganga Project was completely washed off following a glacier burst in the Chamoli district, said the Indian Air Force's initial report as Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) deployed at Joshimath has undertaken recce of affected areas.
The defence ministry said 10 helicopters will be for the Indian Air Force and five will be for the Indian Army.
Two terrorists were killed and five security personnel were injured in a fierce gun battle in a remote forested area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter, which involved a group of approximately five terrorists, triggered intense firing and explosions. The gunfight, centered near Jakhole village, resulted in injuries to Special Police Officer Bharat Chalotra, who sustained facial wounds. Three security personnel, including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), were reportedly trapped near the gunfight's location. The terrorists were moving through the forest area when a police party headed by an SDPO moved in after getting specific information. Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area.
The temporary water body was formed after sediments that the catastrophic flash flood earlier this month brought down, blocking the mouth of a stream that joins the Rishiganga river.
Three people were killed after the MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed into a house in Hanumangarh in Rajasthan shortly after it took off for a routine training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh.
Bullets fly, the noise becomes unbearable and the plot finally ends with the hero doing an unbelievable leap on to the ski of the helicopter aka Schwarzenegger, flown by our pretty heroine. UFF UFF! Squirming in my seat, I ponder over what I have been through, sighs Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
The mesmerizing march included elite marching contingents, missiles, warplanes, surveillance gadgets and lethal weapon systems, with French President Emmanuel Macron gracing the occasion as the chief guest.
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