Aero India: IAF metal birds leave audience spellbound on inaugural day
Bengaluru (PTI): The metal birds of the Indian Air Force soared with a thunderous roar in the clean sky marking the beginning of the 15th edition of the biennial Aero India 2025 here on Monday.
The audience were left spellbound as the aircraft performed breathtaking manoeuvres in the midair at the Yelahanka Air Force station.
The five-day event is considered one of the biggest such shows in Asia where several countries and firms take part and showcase their products and prowess in the aerospace sector.
Leading the team, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh took part in the first sortie of the event with the Tejas formation. He flew in the combat aircraft Tejas, indigenously developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Shakti formation by the women pilots who flew Rafale, demonstrated the increasing role of women in the Indian Air Force.
The audience were awestruck as the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) displayed various formations.
Using the BAE Systems Hawk Mk 132 aircraft, the team flew nine aircraft in close formation.
The SKAT drew a tri-colour and a heart pierced by the cupid's arrow.
Other manoeuvres that won accolades were Varun formation by the Indian Navy, the arrow formation by the Jaguar aircraft and Trishul formation by the three Sukhoi aircraft.
The HAL's Light Utility Helicopters too impressed the visitors with their aerobatics. These helicopters have been quite helpful for the defence forces deployed in high-altitude locations.
The interesting aspect of this event is that the US combat aircraft Lockheed Martin F35 and Russia's Sukhoi-SU-57 are taking part in the Aero India show together. "For the first time in history, Aero India 2025 will witness the participation of two of the world's most advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft - the Russian Su-57 and the American F-35 Lightning II," a government statement said. It marks a milestone in global defence collaboration and technological advancement, offering aviation enthusiasts and defence experts an unparalleled prospect to witness these state-of-the-art warplanes, it added.
According to Defence officials, the F-35 will be for a static display during the biennial show.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
