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Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on Monday, 30 September, took charge as the 26th chief of the Indian Air Force.
He succeeds Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who retired after 41 years of service in the IAF.
Air Marshal Bhadauria was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 1980, and has held various command, staff and instructional positions.
On Tuesday, 8 October, Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora took charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Bhadauria was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1980 and won the coveted ‘Sword of Honour’ for standing first in the overall order of merit.
During his nearly four-decade career, Bhadauria commanded a Jaguar squadron and a premier Air Force Station.
He devised a method for carrying bombing from the Jaguar aircraft using the Global Positioning System (GPS). This was especially relevant for the bombing role of Jaguar aircraft in Operation Safed Sagar in 1999.
Among First IAF Pilots to Fly Rafale Jet
Bhadauria also has 4,250 hours of flying experience on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft.
Bhadauria is one of the few Air Force pilots to fly a Rafale jet. In July, during Exercise Garuda between the Air Forces of India and France, Bhadauria had flown the Rafale aircraft.
He was the Air Attache at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects), Commandant of the National Defence Academy, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air Head Quarter and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command.
‘Ready to Face Any Threat’: Bhadauria on Balakot Terror Camps
Talking about reports of Pakistan reactivating Balakot terror camps, Bhadauria said the IAF is aware of it and that necessary action will be taken when required.
“We were prepared then, we will be prepared next time. We will be ready to face any challenge, any threat,” Bhadauria said.
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat had, on 23 September, said Pakistan has reactivated the Balakot terror camp very recently, and about 500 infiltrators are waiting to infiltrate India.
However, Pakistan had rejected the claims as "completely baseless." The allegation of "infiltration" from Pakistan reflects "a desperate attempt" of India to divert international attention from the "humanitarian crisis" in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Indian armed forces through a surgical strike had destroyed the Balakot camp, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora Takes Charge as Vice Chief
Air Marshal Arora was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1981. He has a vast experience of operational flying on modern and legacy fighters in the IAF inventory.
Before taking over as Vice Chief of the IAF, he was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the South Western Air Command at Gandhinagar.
Air Marshal Arora held various key positions at the IAF, including posts of director general (inspection and safety) and director general of air operations.
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