Republic day: UAE contingent to be a part of parade this year

WATCH VIDEO | People Gather At India Gate & Rajpath To Witness 68th Republic Day Parade

The UAE is the second country after France to send its troops to participate in the Republic Day parade of India, a tradition that started last year. Speaking to reporters, Brigadier Obaid Al-Zahumi, who will be leading the UAE contingent, said they were excited to be a part of the event.

“We got an invitation from the Indian Army some three weeks back and since then we have been busy in getting ready for the parade. We have a nice mix of soldiers from the army, navy and the air force,” Zahumi had said on Monday. The troops from the Arab country also participated in the full dress rehearsal at Rajpath.

Today’s parade will also see a contingent of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandoes, performing march-past the Rajpath for the first time.

The parade also includes the fly-past of three LCA Tejas Aircraft flying at a height of 300 m from ground in ‘Vic’ formation and the Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C) developed by DRDO.