THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Thursday laid stress on preserving the expensive assets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and urged IAF commanders to operationalise new equipment in a systematic manner.
Raha, who is on his first visit to the state after taking over in January this year, was addressing a Commanders’ Conference at the Southern Air Command (SAC) HQ here at Akkulam.
He spoke of the challenges to be faced by the IAF in the coming years while building its capability with modernisation and new acquisitions.
He laid stress on the initiative taken by Air HQ towards improvement of operational capability of the IAF.
Raha, who is here on a two-day visit, was received at the airport by Air Marshal A P Garud, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SAC. Raha was presented a guard of honour by an IAF contingent. During his two-day visit, the Air Chief will be presiding over the Commanders’ Conference of all the Air Force units in the southern region. The CAS also interacted with the personnel of SAC during various events conducted in his honour.
Arup Raha is accompanied by his wife Lily Raha, who is president of the Air Force Wives’ Welfare Association (AFWWA).