NEW DELHI, 22 September 2021, (TON): Government announced that Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, a fighter pilot and top instructor with wide experience in key appointments over almost 39 years, will be the next chief of the Indian Air Force.

Commissioned in the IAF fighter stream in December 1982, current IAF vice chief Air Marshal Chaudhari has a flying experience of over 3,800 hours on a wide variety of fighters and aircraft.

He commanded the critical Western Air Command (WAC), which stretches from Bikaner to Ladakh, from August 2020 to July 2021 amidst the ongoing military confrontation with China.

He was earlier also the second-in-command of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) at Shillong, which again oversees the Line of Actual Control with China, and has also handled the entire modernization of the force in a previous appointment as the deputy IAF chief.

A senior officer said "Air Marshal Chaudhari is a professional with all-round experience, having worked in virtually every major department in the force. Moreover, having been the WAC chief and SASO (senior air staff officer) of the EAC.”

It first appointed General Bipin Rawat as the new Army chief in December 2016 by superseding two Lt-Generals (Praveen Bakshi and PM Hariz) senior to him.