The Indian Air Force will be putting up its best display at the Republic Day 2023 parade, with a contingent comprising of more than 50 aircrafts, including a first time display of 9 Rafale fighter jets on January 26, 2023. Apart from this, many fighter jets, including Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Tejas LCA and cargo planes like C-130J Super Hercules will also show their flying capabilities. But like every year, the star of attraction will be IAF's Sarang acrobatics helicopter display team, widely regarded among the best display teams globally.
The IAF Sarang team is undertaking practice sorties before the main Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2023 and has shared a video on Twitter revealing their formations and stunts. The video shows the IAF Sarang team doing a practice flypast over the Kartavya path, formally known as Rajpath, where the Republic Day parade takes place.
Sarang Saturday!
Sarangs painting the Kartavya path in tricolour towards preparation for RDFP 2023.
Jai Hind!#Sarang #IAF #RepublicDay #RepublicDay2023 #KartavyaPath #India #Tricolor #TeamIndia #Indian #IndianAirForce #MakeInIndia #aviationlovers #helicopter #Pilot @IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/ZjWi2GH8mt— Sarang Helicopter Display Team (@sarang_iaf) January 21, 2023
The IAF Sarang helicopter aerobatics team is one of the few such teams in the world and performs dangerous coordinated stunts in India and abroad, displaying their exceptional precision, accuracy and flying skills. The IAF Sarang team uses customized Dhruv ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) for the stunts and has special red and white livery on the choppers.
The Dhruv ALH is the India’s most advanced indigenous helicopter being developed and manufactured by HAL. Dhruv has been used for a variety of roles right from SAR, Evac, and RTR operations apart from attack capabilities thanks to an attack variant called Rudra. The helicopter is a twin-engine chopper that can carry 14 passengers with two pilots and has a cruise speed of 250 km/hr.
