Varanasi: The skies over Kashi turned into a spectacular theatre of aerial prowess on Wednesday as Indian Air Force fighter jets roared over the Ganga, offering a thrilling preview of “Wings over Ganges”, a mega aerial display set to begin on Thursday morning. Thousands gathered along the ghats and on the river’s opposite bank to witness the rehearsal, while the full spectacle will return on Saturday and Sunday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other VIPs are expected to watch the show from the audience gallery at Namo Ghat.Wednesday’s event was a grand rehearsal for the mega show, being held for the first time in Purvanchal to inspire youths to consider joining the armed forces by familiarising them with the IAF’s capabilities. The event’s focus on young people was evident as students from various schools and colleges, including Government Queen’s College, began arriving at Namo Ghat. As the IAF fighter jets roared across the sky, thousands gathered at the ghats and on the opposite bank of the river to witness the display of the IAF’s aerospace power and its enduring commitment to national security.Being held to commemorate the IAF’s 94 years of dedicated service to the nation, the show features 100 aircraft in different categories. The helicopter fleet includes LCH, Chinook, ALH Mk III, ALH Mk IV, Apache, Chetak, Kamov-31 and Mi-17 V5. Transport and special-mission aircraft include C-295, C-17, C-130, AEW&C, IL-78, An-32 and P-8I, while the fighter fleet includes Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, Rafale, LCA Tejas, MiG-29 and Jaguar. Ahead of the grand rehearsal on Wednesday, these aircraft began arriving from 12 air bases across the country, including Arakkonam, a naval base near Chennai.The aerial displays featured more than 20 formations named after places and legends associated with the city, including Kashi, Varuna, Kedaar, Hanuman, Sarnath, Sarang, Omkar, Ganga, Rudra, Bhagirathi, Tridev, Alaknanda, Bhairav, Kailash, Trilochan, Natraj, Mahadev, Vishwanath, Pashupati, Neelkanth, Prachand, Assi and Dashashwa. The displays were thrilling, but the synchronised manoeuvres by Sarang and Suryakiran, along with demonstrations of the operational capabilities of Rafale, Sukhoi and other fighter jets, drew loud cheers. The crowd particularly cheered the Prachand formation.The Prachand formation, combining six fighter aircraft—the Su-30MKI, Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage-2000, LCA and MiG-29—in an arrowhead formation, was recently demonstrated during Operation Sindoor. The thunderous roar of these frontline fighters demonstrated the IAF’s readiness, precision-strike capability and ability to deliver decisive air power in pursuit of national objectives.Officials said all formations featured during Wednesday’s grand rehearsal would be showcased without any changes, including in their sequence.Although the show left the audience impressed, many complained about the absence of live commentary, which made it difficult to identify the formations and aircraft flying overhead. The scorching sun tested the spectators’ patience, while haze limited visibility and made it harder to follow the aerial displays.
