Republic Day 2026: India’s first parade after Operation Sindoor to showcase phased battle array – What it means?

The Republic Day Celebrations 2026 at Kartavya Path on January 26, 2026, will be unique blend of 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, India’s military might and cultural diversity, officials said.

This will be first Republic Day parade after Operation Sindoor – India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April last year.

At the parade, India will showcase its military might, including its newly-raised Bhairav light commando battalion and a range of indigenous platforms, in a phased battle array format.

This means they will, for the first time, 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, officials were quoted as saying by news agency PTI. this new format seeks to make the parade-watching more engaging for spectators.

"The aerial component will also be shown in battle array formation," Defence Secretary RK Singh said, without elaborating on 16 January.

The light commando battalion, which was raised around October last year, had taken part in the Army Day Parade on Thursday held this year in a civil area in Jaipur.

Interacting with reporters in Jaipur earlier this month, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said the Bhairav Battalion has been introduced to "bridge the gap" between the infantry and special forces.

Besides, 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 C-130 and C-295, they said.

The sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram' will be the dominant theme of this year's Republic Day Parade, with enclosure backdrops along the Kartavya Path displaying old paintings illustrating the opening stanzas of the National Song and floral artworks at the main stage paying homage to its composer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

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.

The defence assets that will be showcased during the parade will include BrahMos, Akash missile system, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) system, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Dhanush artillery gun, Shaktiban and a static display of some drones, Singh told reporters in response to a query.

These include Beas, Brahmaputra, Chambal, Chenab, Gandak, Ganga, Ghagra, Godavari, Sindhu, Jhelum, Kaveri, Kosi, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Pennar, Periyar, Ravi, Sone, Sutlej, Teesta, Vaigai, and Yamuna, they said.

Similarly, for the Beating Retreat Ceremony on January 29, enclosures will be named on Indian instruments - bansuri, damaru, ektara, esraj, mridangam, nagada, pakhawaj, santoor, sarangi, sarinda, sarod, shehnai, sitar, surbahar, tabla and veena.

Inducted into the Special Forces in 2024, robotic mules have already featured in the Army Day parade in Pune and Republic Day celebrations in Kolkata earlier this year.

A total of Seven marching contingents of the Army. As many as 18 Marching Contingents and 13 bands will take part in the RDC-2026. The flypast will showcase Rafale, Su-30, P8i, C-295, Mig-29, Apache, LCH, ALH, Mi-17 in different formations.

Another highlight of the parade will be veterans’ Tableau by Indian Air Force. It will provide a glimpse of veterans’ contributions for the Nation.

The parade will be heralded by a group of 100 cultural artists with Indian martial musical instruments. Thirty tableaux - 17 from various states and Union Territories (UTs), and 13 from ministries and services -- will roll down the Kartavya Path, officials said.

(With agency inputs)