Air Marshal VR Chaudhari named as next Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has been named as the next Chief of Air Staff, succeeding Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria who retires from service in the end of September. Currently posted as the Vice Chief of Air Staff, the officer was commissioned into the fighter stream and has commanded a MiG 29 squadron and has experience of various types of aircraft including the SU 30MKI.
The senior officer has held a series of important assignments in the past few years, including as the Western Air Command chief as Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Air Defence). “The Air Officer has a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs on a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft, including missions flown during Op-Meghdoot and Op-Safed Sagar,” officials said.

He has also served in the past as the Chief Operations Officer of the Srinagar air force station and was also an Air Advisor to the Chief of Air Staff. “The Air Officer has been an Air Force Examiner on several types of fighter and trainer aircraft,” officials said.

Air Marshal Chaudhari will have to navigate his way through in coming months on the integrated theatre command plan that is currently underway, where differences have cropped up on the new structure being envisaged. The theaterisation plan has been put off by two to three years but internal discussions on the issue are underway.

On the procurement side, with the Light Combat Aircraft deal and the C 295 transport aircraft contract finalised, the air force is now set to concentrate on the plan to procure 114 fighter aircraft under a Make in India initiative.

The air force is likely to issue a competition for the new fighter jets that would be made in India with foreign assistance. The main contenders for the mega contract will be Dassault, Boeing, Saab, Lockheed Martin and Russian aircraft companies.