Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria to be India's next Chief of Air Staff: All you need to know

The government on Thursday announced Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria as the next Chief of Air Staff. Bhadauria is known to have played a key role in negotiating the Rafale deal, and will take charge from the incumbent chief BS Dhanoa on 30 September on his superannuation. The Cost Negotiation Committee (CNC) for the Rafale deal was headed by Bhadauria, who took over as the Vice-Chief of Indian Air Force in May this year.

Air Mshl RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC will take over as 26th Chief of the Air Staff.
He will be taking over the command from the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee & Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Mshl BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC, who is due to retire end of the month. pic.twitter.com/8uWevAGMpD

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 19, 2019

Air Mshl Bhadauria was commissioned in fighter stream of IAF on 15 Jun 1980 & was recipient of 'Sword of Honour'. He has over 4250 hrs of flying on 26 types of fighters & transport aircraft. He has been the AOC-in-C for two commands & has been overseeing IAF Operations as VCAS. pic.twitter.com/Uh2LnZ7fSd

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 19, 2019

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Bhadauria, the senior-most officer in the Air Force after Dhanoa, was to retire on 30 September, the same day as Dhanoa. An Air Force official said in this case, the incumbent chief may demit office in the forenoon, paving way for Bhadauria to take charge in the noon. A former Air Marshal recalled a similar incident when NC Suri took over as the Chief of Air Staff from SK Mehra on July 31, 1991, the day he was supposed to superannuate. Mehra demitted office in the forenoon and Suri took charge in the noon. Besides Bhadauria, Air Marshal R Nambiar, the AOC-in-C of the crucial Western Air Command, Air Marshal B Suresh, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AoC-in-C) of the Thiruvananthapuram-based Southern Air Command were also in the contention for the top post. 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. He has held various command, staff and instructional appointments at different levels, including the present one as Vice Chief of Air Staff. During his nearly four decades career, Bhadauria commanded a Jaguar squadron and a premier Air Force Station. Bhadauria has over 4,250 hours of experience on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft with the unique distinction of being an Experimental Test Pilot, a Cat ‘A’ qualified flying instructor and a pilot attack instructor, reports the Hindu. 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. Bhadauria also has 4250 hours of experience on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft with the unique distinction of being an Experimental Test Pilot, a category ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor and a Pilot Attack Instructor. Bhadauria is one of the few air force pilots to fly a Rafale. In July, during Exercise Garuda between the Air Forces of India and France, Bhadauria had flown the aircraft. He was the air attaché at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects), Commandant of the National Defence Academy, Deputy Chief of Air Staff at Air Headquarters and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command. With inputs from PTI