Air defence shield to be activated for Pranab Mukherjee's swearing-in

NEW DELHI: When Pranab Mukherjee takes over as the President on July 25, the IAF will activate its air defence (AD) shield in and around the capital to thwart any threat to the swearing-in ceremony of the supreme commander of the armed forces.

The air defence network comprising IAF aircraft, man-held air defence missiles, OSA-AK and Pechora air defence missiles would be put in place to take out any possible aerial threat to the city on the occasion and fighter jets like Sukhoi-30MKIs and MiG-21 `Bisons' will be put on a stand-by at nearby airbases, sources said here.

The swearing-in ceremony of Pranab Mukherjee will be held on July 25 at the central hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Such security cover is provided during major events including the Independence Day and Republic Day and was also in place during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

They said apart from the number of air defence weapons such as the Pechora and OSA-AK surface-to-air missile squadrons deployed in the NCR, fighter jets like Sukhoi-30MKIs and MiG-21 `Bisons' will now be put on a stand-by at nearby airbases.

To further secure the skies over the capital, the airspace may also be closed for the duration of the swearing-in ceremony.