22 Sept 2021
Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, a fighter pilot and top instructor with wide experience in key appointments over almost 39 years, will be the next chief of the Indian Air Force, the government announced on Tuesday.
Commissioned in the IAF fighter stream in December 1982, current IAF vice chief Air Marshal Chaudhari has a flying experience of over 3,800 hours on a wide variety of fighters and aircraft.
He commanded the Western Air Command (WAC), which stretches from Bikaner to Ladakh, from August 2020 to July 2021 amidst the ongoing military confrontation with China.
He was earlier also the second-in-command of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) at Shillong, which again oversees the Line of Actual Control with China, and has also handled the entire modernization of the force in a previous appointment as the deputy IAF chief.
"Air Marshal Chaudhari is a professional with all-round experience, having worked in virtually every major department in the force. Moreover, having been the WAC chief and SASO (senior air staff officer) of the EAC, he is well-acquainted with India’s two adversaries China and Pakistan," said a senior officer.
With the government sticking to the seniority principle in appointing the next IAF chief, Air Marshal Chaudhari will succeed Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on September 30. Air Marshal Chaudhari will have a three-year tenure till September 2024 as the IAF chief.