NEW DELHI: Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia on Sunday assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC in C) of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force. He succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on Saturday after nearly 39 years of service.
According to the Defence Ministry, Air Marshal Walia was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1988 and is qualified to fly a wide range of fighter aircraft, including the MiG 21, MiG 23, MiG 27, Jaguar and Su 30 MKI. He has logged over 3,200 hours of accident free flying.
The officer has held a wide spectrum of operational, command and staff appointments during his career. His command tenures include a MiG 27 squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and a frontline air base.
A Fighter Strike Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner (IRIE), he has also completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College in Bangladesh.
Furthermore, his staff assignments include stints as Defence Attaché at the Indian embassies in Japan and South Korea, Air Commodore at the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air Headquarters, and Air Defence Commander at Headquarters Western Air Command. Prior to assuming charge as AOC in C, he served as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Eastern Air Command.
In recognition of his service, Air Marshal Walia was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018.
Headquartered in Shillong, the Eastern Air Command is responsible for air operations across India’s eastern sector and the Northeast. It plays a key role in maintaining air readiness along the Line of Actual Control with China and in the Bay of Bengal region.
The command operates several frontline fighter squadrons tasked with air defence and offensive missions across the eastern and northeastern sectors. These include the Rafale equipped No. 101 Squadron (“Falcons”) based at Hashimara and Su 30 MKI squadrons, including No. 102 (“Trisonics”) and No. 106 (“Lynxes”), operating from Tezpur and Chabua.