NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday witnessed major changes at the top level with the appointment of a new Vice Chief of the Air Staff and two new Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-Cs).
Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor assumed charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) following the superannuation of Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari.
At the same time, the IAF appointed two new AOC-in-Cs among its seven operational commands, which are responsible for managing the country’s air security and carrying out other assigned roles.
Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor graduated from the National Defence Academy in December 1985 and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in the fighter stream of the Flying Branch on 6 December 1986. An experienced fighter pilot, he is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader. During his distinguished flying career, he has flown all variants of the MiG-21 and the MiG-29 and has logged more than 3,400 hours on a wide range of combat and trainer aircraft.
An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College, Air Marshal Kapoor has rendered over 39 years of illustrious service. He has held a wide spectrum of command, operational, instructional and staff appointments, and has also undertaken diplomatic assignments. Prior to taking over as VCAS, he served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, and subsequently as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command.
The IAF also appointed two new AOC-in-Cs on Thursday. Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command, while Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command.
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, prior to his current appointment, served as the AOC-in-C, Training Command, after completing his tenure as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air Headquarters, New Delhi. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on 13 June 1987. He is a Category ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4,500 hours of flying experience and is also an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College.
Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on 13 June 1987. A Category ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor, he has over 4,200 hours of flying experience on aircraft including the MiG-21, Iskra, Kiran, PC-7 Mk II, HPT-32 and microlight aircraft. He is also qualified as a second pilot on Chetak and Cheetah helicopters and is a categorised Operations Officer on the Pechora missile system.
Prior to assuming his present role, Air Marshal Shrinivas served as the Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters South Western Air Command.