Ahead of the Aero India 2025, which is to kick off on February 14, a final rehearsal was conducted at the Yelahanka Air Force Station on Thursday. The rehearsal was attended by school students and family members of the armed forces.
A limited number of air assets which belonged to the Indian Air Force (IAF), Coast Guard and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) were on display during the rehearsal.
Akash Ganga team
The show kicked off with the Akash Ganga skydiving team dropping out of an aircraft in their canopies, followed by the Mi 17 helicopters carrying the national flag, the IAF, and Aero India flags. There was also a fly-past by the Sukhoi-30 Mki, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Jaguars, NETRA Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS), AN-32 and Dornier aircraft.
The HAL designed and developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) showed its capabilities to the audience for a few minutes.
The rehearsal concluded with the IAF’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team performing their signature manoeuvres entertaining the audience.
The nine-aircraft aerobatics flying the red-and-white Hawk Mk-132 jets have recently integrated smoke pods to the aircraft which can produce colored smoke. During the rehearsal, the aircraft displayed the three colours of the national flag across the sky during their aerial performance.
Absent in display
Aero India regulars like the Mirage 2000, Hawk-i aircraft, Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) were not part of the aerial display along with the IAF’s latest fighter jet, the Rafales.
The foreign aircraft that have confirmed their participation in the air show like Russia’s fighter generation fighter jet Su-57 and Embraer’s KC-390 Millennium tactical air transport aircraft from Brazil were also missing in action.
The IAF’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team which has been displaying their formation aerobatics skills in the airshow for the last two decades also did not take part in the rehearsal.
The Sarang (Peacock) team flies the ALH Dhruvs which have been grounded temporarily.
The armed forces have temporarily grounded all their 330 ALHs following the January 5 crash of the Indian Coast Guard’s ALH Mark-III during a training sortie that killed all three crew members onboard.
The team was formed in October 2003 and their first public performance was at the Asian Aerospace Show, Singapore, 2004.
Will Sarang make it?
The Sarang team suffered a serious setback in the 2007 edition of the airshow when they were practising. A pilot was killed and another pilot seriously injured after a chopper crashed; however since then they have been regular performers in the Aero India.
With just a few days left for the air show to begin, their participation in this year’s edition of the Aero India remains in doubt.
Published – February 06, 2025 07:56 pm IST