The newly raised Bhairav light commando battalion of the Indian Army will make its Republic Day Parade debut on January 26, while the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will not be part of the parade.
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The Bhairav Battalion was raised by the Army to "bridge the gap" between the infantry and special forces. Currently, the Army has two units of the battalion.
The light commando battalion, which was raised in October last year, had taken part in the Army Day Parade on Thursday, held in a civil area in Jaipur.
Senior officials said major assets of the Indian Army, including indigenous platforms, will be part of the parade.
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The flypast at the ceremonial event will showcase Rafale, Su-30, P8I, MiG-29, Apache, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter), ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), Mi-17 helicopters in different formations, and transport aircraft such as the C-130 and C-295.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, will be the chief guests at the parade.
Defence Secretary R.K. Singh, when asked why LCA Tejas will not be featured in the parade and if the recent crash of a Tejas aircraft in November during a demonstration display at the Dubai Air Show was a factor, said some of the best platforms of the Indian forces are being showcased.
Some platforms have been included while some have not, but there is "no particular reason," the Defence Secretary said, according to news agency PTI.
“The Republic Day Celebrations 2026 at Kartavya Path on January 26, 2026, will be a unique blend of the 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, India’s military might and cultural diversity,” the defence ministry stated in a release.
A series of paintings created by Shri Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923, illustrating the verses of ‘Vande Mataram’ and published in the ‘Bande Mataram Album’ (1923), will be displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during the parade.
In a departure from traditional practice, 'VVIP' and other labels, used earlier for enclosures at the parade venue, will not be used. Instead, all enclosures have been named after Indian rivers, such as the Ganga, Yamuna and Narmada, the senior officials of the defence ministry said.
Similarly, the enclosures which will be put up for the Beating Retreat Ceremony on January 29 have been named after Indian musical instruments such as 'Bansuri', 'Sarod' and 'Tabla', he said.
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Officials said that in a new format introduced this year, key Army assets, including indigenous platforms, accompanied by personnel, will roll down Kartavya Path in a "phased battle array formation." This means they will move down the ceremonial boulevard in a formation as they would in any battle scenario, starting with reconnaissance, followed by other military units such as logistics and personnel accompanying these platforms, who will be seen wearing battle gear, the senior official said, adding that this new format seeks to make the parade-watching experience more engaging for spectators.
The defence assets that will be showcased during the parade will include the BrahMos, the Akash missile system, the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) system, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), the Dhanush artillery gun, Shaktiban, and a static display of some drones, Singh said.
