Air Marshal Vivek Ram Choudhary took over as the 27th Chief of the Indian Air Force on Thursday. Air Marshal VR Chaudhary replaced Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria who retires today on 30th September 2021.
Ahead of his retirement, the outgoing Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria paid tributes at the National War Memorial in Delhi today. Chaudhari, a seasoned fighter pilot, oversaw India's aerial response to China's aggression at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari: A reputed fighter pilot
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari was born on September 4, 1962, and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force's fighter stream on December 29, 1982. The air officer, a National Defence Academy alumnus, takes over as chief at a time when the IAF is undergoing a massive modernization drive and grappling with dwindling fighter squadron strength.
He is a CAT-A qualified Flying Instructor, a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Tamil Nadu), and an instrument rating instructor and examiner. He was a member of the first aerobatics team Surya Kiran, which pulls off dazzling displays of heart-stopping mid-air maneuvers.
Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary was serving as the Vice Chief of Air Staff. Prior to becoming the Vice Chief of the Air Force, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Air Command (WAC). VR Choudhary has about 38 years of experience in the Army. In this distinguished career, he has flown several major fighter and trainer aircraft in the Indian Air Force. These include MiG-21, MiG-23MF, MiG-29, and Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft. The Air Marshal has over 3,800 hours of flying experience including operational flying of these aircraft.
New Air Chief amidst crucial phase for Airforce
He will assume the charge at a time when the country is still in a standoff along the borders with China and tensions in the region are high over the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan. Choudhary will also be responsible for operating modern air defense systems from Russia like the S-400, which will be inducted soon. He will also be responsible for modernizing the fighter aircraft fleet as there are plans to induct more indigenous and foreign-origin fighter jets in the near future.
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