Varanasi: Preparations are under way for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) grand air show at Namo Ghat in Varanasi, with the Sarang helicopter display team rehearsing for its performance, ANI reported on Wednesday.

Speaking about the upcoming display, Squadron Leader Ankita Singh, a pilot with the Sarang Display Team, said the team would showcase its formation flying with five helicopters at the venue. "We are the sole 5-helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force, not just here, but across Asia. We fly the Indian-made helicopter ALH Dhruv, built by HAL," Singh told ANI.

Varanasi will host the Air Force Day Aerial Display-2026 at Namo Ghat on October 25, organised as part of the celebrations marking the 94th anniversary of the Indian Air Force, under the theme "Wings Over Ganges". Against the backdrop of the Ganga and the historic city, the IAF will showcase speed, power, precision, agility and coordination, according to the organisers.

The wider display programme, announced earlier by the Defence Ministry's Prayagraj spokesperson Wing Commander Debartho Dhar, runs from October 22 to 25 and is scheduled to feature the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team and the Sarang Helicopter Display Team, along with aircraft including the Tejas, Light Combat Helicopter Prachand, IL-76, IL-78, C-295 and AN-32, and frontline fighters such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale, with Indian Navy and Indian Army aircraft also scheduled to participate. The Hindu's video coverage showed Rafale, Sukhoi and Tejas jets rehearsing over Namo Ghat during the full-dress rehearsal.

Sources: ANI via Devdiscourse; ANI via Latestly (Oct 17 programme announcement); The Hindu video coverage of the rehearsal.