From the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile and tank destroyer Nag missile system to the Akash air defence system, India flexed its swadeshi muscle at the 74th Republic Day on Kartavya Path on Thursday last.
Amid cheers, several sophisticated military hardware followed on the heels of the 61 Cavalry Army Mounted contingent, the only active cavalry regiment in the world. As President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived at Kartavya Path with her Egyptian counterpart and chief guest Abdel Fattah elSisi, unfurled the national flag, 21 guns thundered in a national salute. And not surprising, these were the indigenously made 105 mm Indian field guns which had replaced the vintage British 25-pounder guns on the occasion.
The recently deployed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachanda, a made-in-India attacking chopper, then flew overhead, leading a formation of the American-built Apache helicopters and two desi ALH MK-IV helicopters in arrow formation. The parade also saw participation of the first Indigenous Akash air defence system, a defence product that the Indian government hopes to export too.
Main battle tank Arjun, the 1,400 horsepower vehicle with a speed of 70 kmph and equipped with a 120 mm main rifled gun, 7.62 mm machine gun and an anti-aircraft gun developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), then rolled by. Alongside, there was the Nag missile system, a fire and forget anti-tank guided missile with an effective range of 5 km. The people also got to see the K-9 Vajra-T, a self-propelled howitzer being built by Larsen & Toubro via technology transfer from South Korea.
The 861 missile regiment showcased the Brahmos supersonic, high-precision cruise missile, while 27 Air Défence Missile Regiment exhibited the first ever indigenously developed Akash weapon system. “The system has the capability of carrying out surveillance of air space up to 150 km and effectively engaging hostile aerial platforms up to 25 km,” ran the description given during the parade. The Akash weapon system is capable of keeping Indian skies protected and safe and was used as a potent deterrent in 2019 when it was deployed as a countermeasure to Pakistan’s Air Force after the air strikes on terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Made in India 8x8 infantry amphibious armoured vehicle, designed and developed in the country, drove down Kartavya Path. The specially equipped vehicle is capable of crossing rivers and canals and has a maximum on-road speed of 100 kmph.
