The spirit in lines of Assamese cultural icon Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's "Luitor parore ami deka lora, moriboloi bhoi nai" (the sons of the river fear not to die) was brought to life as the jets of the Indian Air Force roared in the skies of Guwahati, today.

Lachit Ghat, where the mighty Brahmaputra echoes tales of valour and sacrifice, played perfect host as IAF's fighter aircrafts and transport carriers undertook their first major aerial display post Operation Sindoor, as part of the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations.

With one single event, the IAF's air display over the mighty Luit paid tribute not only to India's aerial prowess but also to the valour of Lachit Barphukan, the Assamese military leader. The air show started with three Mi 17 leading in Dhwaj formation followed by the thundering entry of indigenous Tejas (LCA).

In a perfect ode to the heritage and culture, the formations were named after the prominent aspects of the north eastern region. LCA Tejas flew in with the call sign Lachit.

It was followed by a series of other aircrafts displaying the formations Hollong, Rhino, Kaziranga, Kanchenjunga, Haati, and Barak, a transboundary river through India and Bangladesh.

The other aircrafts that were part of the display included Light Combat Helicopter Prachand, C-295 and Hawks, symbolising the pathway to national resilience. The Harvard, Sukhoi 30 and Rafale enthralled the audience with breathtaking low level aerobatics. The performance concluded with synchronised manoeuvring by the Suryakiran Aerobatics Team and Sarang helicopter display team, leaving the audience spellbound.

With the theme "Infallible, Impervious and Precise" the air display reflected the IAF's focus on operational excellence, resilience, and precision in safeguarding India's airspace.

A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued for the duration of the event, with seven major air bases across Assam and West Bengal, including Guwahati, Tezpur, Hasimara, and Bagdogra, put on heightened operational alert.

The chief guest of the event was Governor of Assam Lakshman Prasad Acharya. Others who attended the event included, Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, CAS Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, AOC-in-C Eastern Air Command Air Marshal Surat Singh and senior officers of the Indian Air Force and State government.

Addressing the media, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that it has been a real honour to have this air show in this part of the country. "We have been trying to come to the North East for quite some time —two, three years. So, just for this, we even changed our time from October to November so that we could have this show here. And I'm really amazed at the kind of response that we've got."

"The North East is no longer a remote place. We always had various display teams coming to the North East and continuing. And this is the first time we've had an Air Force Day celebration in the North east," he added.

Air Marshal Surat Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Eastern Air Command, said that they chose the North East as the region because it has a very large representation of people from this region. "It's a gesture on part of Indian Air Force to connect with the people of the north-east and for the North-East, Guwahati is the gateway."

"The Indian Air Force is very well geared for undertaking the preparations and operations in the North East. And we are fully geared up for all the eventualities. There are many advanced landing grounds in Arunachal. We have 8 ALGs, all of them are operational, and from time to time we conduct exercises also there," he added.

Meanwhile in a tweet on X, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "Thank You Guwahati for turning out in full strength to witness the spectacular Flying Display 2025 organised by IAF...From being nearly abandoned during the 1962 war to sending such a powerful message of aerial dominance, the North East come a long way under the visonary leadership of Adarniya Narendra Modi Ji."