The preparation for Republic Day parade 2022 are all complete now and it's now just a matter of time before the world will witness the showcase of the Indian Armed Forces' capability at Delhi's Rajpath. The flypast during the parade will be the grandest in history with participation from 75 aircraft. The number of aircraft signifies the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration to mark the 75 glorious years of India's independence. However, one name missing from the line up of aircraft participating in the republic day parade is the TEJAS Aircraft. The Indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas made its debut at the Republic Day parade in 2017, however, like this year, the aircraft was not part of the parade in 2021 as well. While the exact reason is not clear, Tejas absence from the parade could be due to the fact that singly engine aircraft like it are usually not permitted to fly over Rajpath.

Proposed first as part of the government’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS program in the 1980s, the first design of Tejas Aircraft was finalized in 1990. It featured a small tailless delta wing design with inherent relaxed static stability which necessitates the need for a digital FBW flight control system for enhanced manoeuvrability in the air. Tejas' development took several decades with the first prototype taking off in 2001. Over a decade later, in December 2013, the Tejas got Initial Operational Clearance and finally, in 2019, the IAF was given the first aircraft with Final Operational Clearance.

Meanwhile, the Republic Day 2022 flypast will begin with the 'Dhwaj' formation with four Mi-17 aircraft, followed by 'Rudra' and 'Rahat' formations with four and five Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), respectively. As a tribute to the Tangail airdrops operations of the 1971 war, the flypast will also feature a Tangail formation with one Dakota and two Dornier flying in Vic formation.

The Rafale Aircraft will also showcase its might at the parade. Among the participants are India Navy's MiG29K, P-8I surveillance aircraft and Jaguar fighter jets.