NEW DELHI: Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on Wednesday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, succeeding Air Marshal Anil Khosla. Air Marshal Singh, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was commissioned in the fighter stream of IAF on 15 Jun 1980. The new Air vice chief has over 4,250 hours of flying experience on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft.
Air Marshal Singh had done his Masters in Defence Studies from Command and Staff College, Bangladesh. He has held a number of important positions in the IAF, which included commanding a Jaguar squadron and heading a premier Air Force station.
He was extensively involved in the initial prototype flight tests on the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. Air Marshal Bhadauria was also the Air Attache at the Indian embassy, Moscow. Prior to assuming charge as Vice Chief of IAF, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command.
During his career, he was commended by the Chief of Air Staff and has been awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal, Ati Vishist Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal. Air Marshal Khosla retired on Monday after an illustrious career spanning four decades. With PTI inputs