The Air Force Day Parade at Air Force Station Hindan in Ghaziabad on Thursday marked 94 years of the Indian Air Force, with five units winning citations, a helicopter flag salute over the parade ground and a vintage Tiger Moth biplane flying past in tribute to the force's early years.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, reviewed the parade. It was his last Air Force Day in the top job.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, has been named the 29th Chief of the Air Staff and takes over on 31 October. Guests at Hindan included the Chief of the Army Staff, General Dhiraj Seth, and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. Former Chiefs of the Air Staff, senior military officers and civilians also attended.

This year's theme was Indian Air Force: Infallible, Impervious and Precise, or Achook, Abhedya va Sateek in Hindi. The Air Chief said the theme was more than a slogan. "Infallible, Impervious, Precise is not just a tagline; it is the manifestation of our strength and resolve," he said.

Mi-17 helicopters open the Air Force Day Parade with a flag salute

The ceremony began with the marching-in of the President's Colours, symbolising the IAF's service to the nation. As the Air Chief arrived, three Mi-17 1V helicopters flew over in Dhwaj formation, carrying the National Flag and the IAF flag.

Group Captain Manish Sharma commanded the parade.

An investiture ceremony followed the march past. Air Warriors were awarded medals for gallantry and distinguished service, and units received citations for excellence.

Five IAF units win unit citations at Hindan

Five Unit Citations were presented on the day. They went to 24 Squadron, The Hawks; 110 Helicopter Unit, The Vanguards; 200 Squadron, Skanda; 2402 Squadron, Vajra; and the Electronic Warfare Range.

Air Chief says readiness decides air power

In his address, the Air Chief described air power as the main means of protecting the national interest. He said the Indian Air Force remained alert, committed and ready to meet any contingency, and that its operational capability and readiness were moving in the right direction.

Modern aircraft alone do not make an air force strong, he said. "An air force can have the most advanced aircraft in the world, but its true strength is measured by its operational preparedness," the Air Chief said, adding that what counts is how quickly and confidently the force can act when the call comes.

Five days earlier, at his annual press conference, the Air Chief had said the IAF needs 36 to 40 new aircraft every year.

He pointed to Operation Sindoor as proof of what readiness delivers. The IAF's swift move into combat operations, he said, showed its "destructive power as well as the effective Air Defence operations".

Self-reliance, or Aatmanirbharta, remains the IAF's guiding principle, the Air Chief said. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems will be brought into service, but with human authority kept at the core. He reiterated the force's commitment to technological advancement alongside it.

He also said modern conflict demands deep synergy, and that joint planning and integrated combat work with the Army and the Navy is a daily activity.

Air Chief cites IAF role in Gaganyaan

"Space is a natural extension of air domain," the Air Chief said. He spoke of growing collaboration with ISRO and the domestic space industry, including the IAF's part in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

Drones, missiles and radars on static display

A static display showed fighter aircraft, helicopters, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface guided weapon systems, radars and one-way attack unmanned aerial systems.

The display was built around Make in India and the force's push for indigenous capability development, a theme the Air Chief also took up in his address.

Team Shakti and 33 drummers perform at Hindan

At the Air Force Day Parade, Team Shakti, the IAF's all-women Air Warrior Drill Team, performed synchronised drills and complex formations.

The IAF Drummers Team followed. Its 33 young Air Warriors played snare drums, roto drums, bass drums and cymbals while moving through quick formations and acrobatic routines across the ground.

Then came the IAF Heritage Flight. A vintage Tiger Moth, the two-seat biplane trainer of the 1930s, flew over Hindan as a tribute to the force's history. The Indian Air Force was raised on 8 October 1932, the date Air Force Day marks every year.

In recent years the IAF has held its parade at an air base and staged a separate aerial display for the public in a city, as it did over Chennai's Marina Beach in 2024. This year follows the same pattern. Following the celebrations at Hindan, the Air Force Day aerial display will be held at Namo Ghat in Varanasi on 25 October.