Prime Minister Modi to attend final day of "Wings Over Ganges" display

Indian Air Force aircraft, including frontline fighters carrying live munitions, are staging an unusually large and tactically focused aerial display over the Ganges at Varanasi this weekend. The “Wings Over Ganges” events on 24 and 25 October mark the service’s 94th anniversary and bring roughly 100 aircraft into the airspace above the holy city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the final event on 25 October.

The fleet comprises 52 fighter jets, 32 helicopters, 15 transport aircraft and one heritage plane. Aircraft are launching from 12 bases across India, including two civil airports and the naval air station at Arakkonam near Chennai. A Navy P-8I maritime patrol aircraft is among those making the long transit to join the display, rendezvousing with Mirage 2000s en route.

Unlike a conventional ceremonial flypast, the programme emphasises operational readiness and joint-service integration. For the first time in a public aerial display, six different frontline fighters, the Su-30 MKI, Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Tejas and MiG-29, are flying together in an arrowhead formation known as Prachand.

A simulated two-versus-one engagement is also being shown. Two Jaguar aircraft conduct a high-speed simulated attack on the Malviya Bridge while a Su-30 MKI intercepts them from above, giving spectators a glimpse of tactical aerial manoeuvring. Separately, the Mahadev formation pairs an IL-78 tanker with three Mirage 2000 fighters in a simultaneous public aerial-refuelling demonstration, the first of its kind.

Additional sequences include a high-speed vertical manoeuvre by one Su-30 MKI over the viewing area, filmed from a second Su-30 flying at 8,000 feet with an infrared imaging pod. Helicopter formations feature Light Combat Helicopters, Apaches and other types from the Air Force and Army demonstrating combat-support roles, including the insertion of special-forces personnel. Army, Navy and Air Force assets appear together in mixed formations to illustrate interoperability.

The display is divided into two blocks, roughly 10:40–12:30 and 13:00–14:00. Opening elements include a Kashi formation of Mirage 2000s in a victory shape trailing the Indian tricolour. The programme closes with the Surya Kiran and Sarang aerobatic teams. Viewing is concentrated along the riverfront near Namo Ghat, with grandstand seating for dignitaries and public enclosures on both banks of the Ganga.