Air Marshal VR Chaudhari Appointed new Commander-in-Chief of Western Air Command

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has been appointed as the new commander-in-chief of the Western Air Command (WAC) of the Indian Air Force. This is tasked with the administration of the aerial defence of the sensitive Ladakh sector as well as various parts of North India. Air Marshal Chaudhari is slated to take charge of the Delhi-based command in August.

He is going to succeed Air Marshal B Suresh.

Air Marshal VR Chaudhari is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and he was inducted into the fighter stream of the IAF in 1982. He has experience of flying a range of aircraft including MiG-21, MiG-23MF, MiG-29 and SU-30MKI. He is being given this assignment at a time when the WAC is looking to enhance operational deployment in eastern Ladakh keeping in mind the border dispute with China.

The Indian Air Force has been conducting night-time combat air patrols over the region for the past few weeks and it has already deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in frontier bases in Ladakh as well as in several other areas along the Line of Actual Control with China. Air Marshal Chaudhari will now spearhead all these activities and will also ensure combat readiness of the command in case of any exigency.

Air Marshal Chaudhari has also been involved in the high-profile Rafale acquisition program of the Indian Air Force. He is presently serving as the senior staff officer in the Eastern Air Command in the Indian Air Force.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020