78th Army Day Parade in Jaipur Attended by Top Defence Dignitaries

India celebrated its 78th Army Day in Jaipur with a grand parade attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top military brass. The event showcased advanced weaponry like BrahMos and Pinaka, and saw the public debut of the new Bhairav Battalion.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, and other dignitaries attended the 78th Army Day celebrations being held in Rajasthan's Jaipur on Thursday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Army Chief General Upendra Trivedi, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde, BJP Rajasthan President Madan Rathore, along with a large number of other dignitaries are also present for the occasion.

Showcase of Military Prowess

The parade is being held at Mahal Road, Jagatpura, marking the first time the parade will be held outside the cantonment area. The parade will also display the army's artillery and rocket capabilities, with several missile and launcher systems on show, including the BrahMos cruise missile, which can strike targets up to 800 kilometres away from land, sea or underwater platforms, according to the Army. The Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher will also feature. It was recently tested with long-range guided rockets that have a range of up to 120 kilometres. Other systems on display will include the upgraded BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launcher and the SMERCH system, which can fire 12 rockets of 300 mm calibre to ranges of up to 90 kilometres.

Artillery platforms such as the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System and the M777 ultra-light howitzer will also be part of the display. Other gun systems too will be featured during the parade.

To showcase air defence capabilities, the indigenous Akashteer system with its medium-range surface-to-air missiles (SAM), which proved their effectiveness in a high-threat environment during Operation Sindoor by shooting down a variety of Turkish and Chinese-origin drone systems operated by Pakistan and have since drawn global interest as combat-proven platforms.

Debut of the Bhairav Battalion

The parade will also mark the first public appearance of the Bhairav Battalion, the unit which has been raised as part of the Army's recent restructuring, drawing operational lessons from global conflicts, including its own Operation Sindoor. The Bhairav Battalion is positioned between the Para Special Forces and regular infantry units. The battalion was raised to meet modern warfare requirements to provide a quick and precise offensive solution against enemies' threats to the nation. This allows them to respond quickly across different terrains, including difficult and hostile areas.

Earlier, speaking to ANI, a commanding officer of 2 Bhairav Battalion said, "Modern warfare is changing at a very rapid pace. The conflicts of today are hybrid in nature, and one needs to be fully equipped with modern technology to be able to deal with the challenges. The Bhairav battalions have also been created as part of the force restructuring, which has been raised in line with the requirements of modern technology, new thought processes and the new operational requirements."

Significance of Army Day

Army Day is commemorated every year on January 15 to remember the occasion of Field Marshal KM Cariappa took over the command of the Indian Army from British Commander-in-Chief, General Sir FRR Bucher, in 1949 and became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of Independent India. (ANI)

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