Sky stunts, cheering crowds set tone for ‘biggest-ever’ Aero India

India’s home-grown prowess played like a familiar, well-cut highlight reel as Aero India opened with a rousing display of manoeuvres and formations here on Monday.

The Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari flew the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, leading a ‘gurukul formation’ during the flypast before Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the 14th edition of the biennial event, at the Indian Air Force Station in Yelahanka.

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Setting the tone for the flypast, ahead of the CAS’ turn in the morning sky, were helicopters including the indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter, Prachand.

Set to thumping beats from popular songs, the display doubled as a worthy opening act for the 2023 edition which the Ministry of Defence has called the biggest in the air show's history – “Like ballerinas in the sky” was how the MC described a formation.

An arrow formation featuring nine LCA-Tejas aircraft and a Trishul formation (Sukhoi Su–30 Mk 1) drew collective gasps from the packed viewing area which had many senior defence personnel and diplomats from India and abroad.

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The second part of the aerial display commenced, post-inauguration, with the Su-30 Mk 1 returning for its loop-tumble-yaw manoeuvre. The Tejas hit the skies again with a Vertical Charlie manoeuvre where the aircraft does a vertical pull-up and rolls as it gains altitude. Crowd-favourites Suryakirans, in their acrobatic teams, put up a fine show on their own and once, with the C-17 Globemaster.

The display also featured the Light Utility Helicopter, the youngest in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s helicopter family.