IAF to unveil new combat uniform for personnel on Air Force Day

Chandigarh: The Chief of Air Staff will unveil the new pattern of combat uniform for Indian Air Force personnel on Air Force Day here on Saturday, officials said here.

Air Force Day marks the official induction of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a supporting force of the UK's Royal Air Force in 1932. Every year, the day is celebrated in the presence of the Indian Air Force chief and senior officers.

"There will be a parade in the morning at the Air Force station here. On the occasion, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari will unveil the new combat uniform for air force personnel," an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer told reporters here.

"We already have a combat uniform, but the pattern will be changed into something called digital camouflage," he added.

The officer said nearly 80 helicopters and transport aircraft will take part in the flypast and demonstrations over Sukhna Lake here on Saturday afternoon. However, the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters and transport aircraft Avro and Dornier will not be part of the flypast.

The recently inducted indigenously built Light Combat Helicopter Prachand will be part of the flypast in a three-aircraft formation.

Another formation will be the Sekhon, dedicated to IAF officer and Param Vir Chakra recipient Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon. The formation will include a Rafale, Tejas, Jaguar and Mirage 2000.

The Globe formation will include a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and nine Hawk-132 from the Surya Kiran display team, he said.

The Eklavya formation will be led by the Mi-35 attack helicopter with four Apache choppers, while the Big Boy formation will include an IL-76 and two AN-32 aircraft.