TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on Monday took charge as the 26th chief of the Indian Air Force. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who retired after 41 years of service in the IAF. Air Marshal Bhadauria was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 1980, and has held various command, staff and instructional positions.
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. During his nearly four-decade career, Bhadauria commanded a Jaguar squadron and a premier Air Force Station.
He devised a method for carrying bombing from the Jaguar aircraft using the Global Positioning System. This
was especially relevant for the bombing role of Jaguar aircraft in Operation
Safed Sagar in 1999. Bhadauria also has 4,250 hours of flying experience on 26
types of fighters and transport aircraft. Bhadauria is one of the few Air Force
pilots to fly a Rafale jet.
