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Agencies:

Indian Air Force Day 2020: Ram Nath Kovind, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh hail �formidable force to reckon with�

October 8, 2020

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is observing its 88th anniversary on Thursday with a ceremonial parade and a flypast involving a variety of aircraft at the Hindon airbase.

A total of 56 aircraft, including 19 choppers and seven transport aircraft, will fly during the parade. The Tejas LCA, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 aircraft were part of the dress rehearsal on Wednesday, besides the newly inducted Rafale fighter Jet, an IAF official told.

Ahead of the celebrations, the IAF shared their anthem on Twitter and also shared �Know the IAF� posts explaining its aircraft, including the Rudra, MiG-21 and Chinook.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu took to Twitter to honour �air warriors, veterans and families of the Indian Air Force� for their contribution in �securing our skies and assisting civil authorities� in humanitarian relief.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to the 'brave warriors' with a tweet in Hindi that read, "You not only keep the skies of the country safe but also play a leading role in the service of humanity in times of disaster." He also posted a short video, honouring the IAF personnel.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the IAF as a �formidable and lethal force to reckon with�, while Home Minister Amit Shah said that the force�s personnel have served the country with �utmost courage and determination�.