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Protect nation’s integrity at any cost, says new IAF chief Air Marshal Chaudhari
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari takes over the top IAF job at a time the armed forces are working out the details of the theaterisation model to best utilise the military’s resources
NEW DELHI: Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Thursday took over as the chief of the Indian Air Force at a ceremony at Air Headquarters in national capital Delhi. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria following his retirement.
In his first address to the air force after taking charge, the new Chief of Air Staff `expressed “absolute faith and confidence in their ability to accomplish all assigned tasks with resolute dedication while maintaining IAF’s operational capability at an all-time high.”
“Protection of our nation’s sovereignty and integrity is to be ensured at any cost”, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said, according to a defence ministry statement.
An experienced pilot, Chaudhari has logged more than 3,800 hours of flying on a variety of fighter planes such as MiG-21, MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30. He also flew air defence missions during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan.
The IAF chief was commissioned into the air force’s fighter stream in December 1982. Before taking charge of his current appointment as vice chief, Chaudhari was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the operationally critical Western Air Command (WAC). He commanded WAC at a time when the IAF was inducting its new Rafale fighter jets at Ambala, and operationalising them at the earliest was a top priority amid the border row with China in the Ladakh sector.
Chaudhari takes over the top job at a critical time -- the armed forces are working out the details of the theaterisation model to best utilise the military’s resources, and he will also oversee several key projects to sharpen the IAF’s combat potential.
In his address on Thursday, the new chief said, ``The enhancement of operational capability through integration of newly inducted platforms, weapons and equipment with existing assets and dovetailing the same in concepts of operations will remain a priority area.’’
The defence ministry statement said he also urged air force personnel to “always uphold the ethos and credo of the ‘Air Warrior’, and strive to be an asset to the IAF in any role tasked for”.
