Chennai: For the first time in South India, the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) aerobatic power was on full display in Chennai, with people glued to the sky during the IAF airshow on Sunday.
The event marks the 92nd celebration of the IAF, instituted on October 8, 1932.
The highly anticipated IAF Airshow 2024 commenced at 11 a.m. and was watched by 15 lakh people with bated breath at Marina Beach.
It will showcase 72 aircraft, including Rafale, indigenously manufactured state-of-the-art Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Light Combat helicopter Prachand, and Heritage aircraft Dakota.
The display was being controlled by the Air Traffic Controller at the Chennai Airport.
The airshow featured Dassault Rafale, Sukhoi-30, Suryakiran, and indigenously developed HAL Tejas.
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Earlier, expressing concern over bird strikes, the IAF requested that people not bring eatables to the airshow.
The IAF’s Suryakiran aerobatic team and helicopter aerobatic formation Sarang enthralled the crowd.
Chief Coordinating Officer of the Chennai Airshow, Air Vice Marshall K. Premkumar, said the Indian Air Force made major preparations for the Air Show 2024 at Chennai to enter into the Limca Book of Records.
The IAF conducted a full dress rehearsal at the airshow on Friday in coordination with the Tambaram unit of the IAF.
It is the third time the IAF conducted its airshow outside the national capital and the first time in South India.
The IAF conducted the airshow at Prayagraj in October 2023, and in 2022, it was held in Chandigarh.
The Greater Chennai Police has deployed 6,500 cops and 1500 Home guards for the Chennai Airshow.
Kirubakaran, an engineering student at Chennai, told IANS, “The airshow gave me goosebumps and showed how systematic and aerobatic our pilots are. The airshow has motivated me to opt for a career in the service of the nation. After my engineering, I will join the Air Force. The airshow of the IAF has inspired me to make this decision.”
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IANS
