This year, the guest of honour is Thailand's first woman Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra.
The highlight of this year's parade will be the 3,000 kms range Agni-IV missile. The Intermediate Range Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile mounted on a road mobile launcher is being paraded by the Defence Research & Development Organisation.
The state-of-the-art missile was successfully flight tested last November. The DRDO has also put on display for the first time the 150 kms range Prahaar tactical battlefield support missile and the Rustom-1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The Army's Mechanized Columns will conclude with a flypast by the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv of the Army Aviation Corps.
The Indian Air Force will not make static display of any aircraft but its latest acquisition, the C-130-J Super Hercules tactical aircaft, makes its debut at the Republic Day Parade, with three of the six aircraft acquired from the US participating in the flypast.
The Indian Navy's tableau also glosses over its newly acquired capabilities, instead focusing on its longstanding, reliable capabilities.
The parade ceremony will commence at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate where the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will lead the nation in paying homage to the martyrs by laying wreath.
An eternal flame burns at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the indomitable courage of our Armed Forces personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland.
The Amar Jawan, the immortal soldier, is symbolised by a reversed rifle topped by a helmet. As per tradition, after unfurling of the National Flag, the National Anthem will be played.
The parade will be commanded by Lt General Vijay Kumar Pillai, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Major General Rajbir Singh, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the parade Second-in-Command.
The marching contingents of Army will include the horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, Parachute Regiment, Bengal Engineer Group & Centre, Brigade of the Guards, Kumaon Regiment, Assam Regiment, Mahar Regiment, Gorkha Rifles Regiment and the Corps of Military Police.
The marching contingents of Navy comprising 144 men will be led by Lt Commander Manikandan K and the Air Force contingent comprising 144 men will be led by Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat - the first woman ever to lead an IAF contingent at the Parade.
The marching contingents of paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces will include contingents from the Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme.
The Camel-mounted band of the BSF and the Ex-Servicemen marching contingent will be another major attraction.
Tableaux from 23 states and Central Ministries and Departments will present the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country.
They will also showcase country's progress in different fields.
Nineteen of the 24 children selected for the National Bravery Award – 2009 will also participate in the parade. Five children have got the award posthumously.
The grand finale of the parade will be a spectacular flypast by the IAF, with the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft participating in the Parade for the first time. The flypast will be led by a Vic formation of three Mi-35 helicopters, followed by the three Super Hercules again in a Vic formation.
Trailing them will be one IL-78, flanked by two AN-32 and two Dornier, in a Big Boy formation. Next in line will be the fighters, - five Jaguars followed by five MiG-29 will fly in Arrowhead formation.
The breathtaking Trishul formation comprising three Su-30 MKI would fly over the Rajpath and once in front of the saluting dais the Su-30MKI aircraft will split upwards, making a Trishul in the sky. The flypast will conclude with another Sukhoi Su-30 MKI carrying out a Vertical Charlie manoeuvre over the saluting dais.
The ceremony will culminate with the National Anthem and release of balloons. President Pratibha Patil addressed the nation on the eve of Republic Day and even made a veiled reference to the Lokpal Debate that raged on during the Winter Session of Parliament.
Security has been tightened across the national capital. A ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place.
Over 25,000 police personnel, including those from paramilitary forces and sharpshooters from the NSG, have been deployed.
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