Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who was in charge of the Ladakh sector succeeds current IAF Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Thursday.
Bhaudaria retired after 42 years of service and two mega deals took place under his term including 36 Rafales and 83 Mark 1A indigenous Tejas.
Chaudhari would be taking over the charge of the IAF at a time when the country is still in a standoff position at the borders with China and tensions in the region are high due to the situation in Afghanistan.
Chaudhari who joined the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1982 has flying experience of more than 3800 hours on different types of fighter and trainer aircraft, including missions flown during Operation Meghdoot.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Defence Service Staff College, Wellington. He has commanded a frontline fighter squadron and a fighter base during his career. He has also held various positions such as Deputy Commandant of Air Force Academy; Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Air Defence), and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers).
