The Chief of Air Staff on Friday announced that the government has approved the creation of a weapon system branch for officers in the IAF.
Chaudhari, who was speaking during the 90th Air Force Day celebration at Chandigarh Air Force Station, said this is for the first time since independence that a new operational branch is being created.
“This will essentially be for manning of four specialised streams of surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, remotely piloted aircraft, and weapon system operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft. Creation of this branch would result in savings of over ₹3400 crore due to reduced expenditure on flying training,” Chaudhari said.
He said the induction of Air Warriors into the IAF through the Agnipath scheme was a challenge for all of us, but more importantly, it was an opportunity for us to harness the potential of India’s youth and channelise it towards the service of the nation. “We have changed our operational training methodology to ensure each Agniveer was equipped with the right skills and knowledge to start their career in the Air Force. In December this year, we would be inducting 3,000 Agniveer Vayu for their initial training. This number will only go up in the years to come to ensure adequate staffing. We are also planning on induction of women Agniveers starting next year. Creation of infrastructure was in progress, and streamlining of trade structure is being finalised,” he added.
The Air Force chief also unveiled the new combat uniform for air force personnel on Saturday. The new combat uniform is believed to borrow features unveiled earlier this year by the Army. With this, all three arms of the Indian military have upgraded to disruptive digital patterns for camouflage uniforms.
{{/usCountry}}The Air Force chief also unveiled the new combat uniform for air force personnel on Saturday. The new combat uniform is believed to borrow features unveiled earlier this year by the Army. With this, all three arms of the Indian military have upgraded to disruptive digital patterns for camouflage uniforms.
{{/usCountry}}He further said the challenge today was to transform into forward-thinking and forward-looking Air Warriors who can support our process of adapting to a constantly changing environment.
“I call upon every Air Warrior to be a part of the solution through your creativity, innovative thinking and drive to lead the change,” he said.
Earlier, Chaudhari inspected the ceremonial parade, which was followed by a march-past. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command, Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran was among senior IAF officers present on the occasion.