Kargil war hero and present Eastern Air Command chief Air Marshal R Nambiar has been appointed as the new chief of Indian Air Force's sword arm Western Air Command (WAC) on Thursday.

The Air Marshal is credited for shooting five of the eight Laser Guided Bombs on the Pakistani positions during the Kargil war from his plane.

The WAC is headquartered in the national capital and controls the area from north of Bikaner in Rajasthan up to Siachen Glacier and controls almost 40 per cent of the air bases of the Indian Air Force.

Nambiar has the distinction of having the highest number of flying hours on the Mirage-2000 in the IAF, with over 2300 flying hours on the aircraft to his credit, and a total of 5100 hours of flying experience.

He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and was the Project Test Pilot for the Light Combat Aircraft “Tejas”.

Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar has been a Flight commander of a Mirage-2000 Squadron, the Senior Test Pilot and Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft System Testing Establishment (ASTE).

He has commanded the oldest Squadron of the IAF, the prestigious No. 1 Squadron.

He flew the Mirage-2000 in combat during the Kargil conflict and has flown 25 operational missions.

Nambiar was also awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for Gallantry by the President of India for the Kargil Operations.

He was awarded a Bar to the Vayu Sena Medal for flight testing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in 2002, during its first phase of flight testing.&nbsp;

Kargil war hero and present Eastern Air Command chief Air Marshal R Nambiar has been appointed as the new chief of Indian Air Force's sword arm Western Air Command (WAC) on Thursday.

Kargil war hero and present Eastern Air Command chief Air Marshal R Nambiar has been appointed as the new chief of Indian Air Force's sword arm Western Air Command (WAC) on Thursday. The Air Marshal is credited for shooting five of the eight Laser Guided Bombs on the Pakistani positions during the Kargil war from his plane. The WAC is headquartered in the national capital and controls the area from north of Bikaner in Rajasthan up to Siachen Glacier and controls almost 40 per cent of the air bases of the Indian Air Force. Nambiar has the distinction of having the highest number of flying hours on the Mirage-2000 in the IAF, with over 2300 flying hours on the aircraft to his credit, and a total of 5100 hours of flying experience. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and was the Project Test Pilot for the Light Combat Aircraft “Tejas”. Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar has been a Flight commander of a Mirage-2000 Squadron, the Senior Test Pilot and Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft System Testing Establishment (ASTE). He has commanded the oldest Squadron of the IAF, the prestigious No. 1 Squadron. He flew the Mirage-2000 in combat during the Kargil conflict and has flown 25 operational missions. Nambiar was also awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for Gallantry by the President of India for the Kargil Operations. He was awarded a Bar to the Vayu Sena Medal for flight testing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in 2002, during its first phase of flight testing.

Kargil war hero Air Marshal Nambiar appointed chief of Western Air Command

The Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force successfully airlifted a record 463 tonnes of the load from its Chandigarh airbase to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The entire exercise took place in a single attempt. The effort was accomplished with the help of a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft comprising C-17 Globemaster, the Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and the Medium lift Tactical aircraft, Antonov-32. All aircraft were loaded and taken off from the Chandigarh airbase early in the morning on Tuesday.

Air Marshal NJS Dhillon AVSM, the Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command, under whose direction the effort was achieved said, "Rapid air mobility is a key component of modern warfare. This assumes greater significance in short and intense wars. This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region. With a wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory, the IAF now has a credible airlift capability which has provided succour on numerous occasions when the nation was struck with natural calamities”

The entire exercise was accomplished in little less than 6 hours. Airlift of approximately 500 tonnes, in the achieved time frame and at one go, happens to be a record and enhances the assessment of the Commands’ capability towards rapid and heavy airlift.&nbsp;

The command is entrusted with the air maintenance of the country's entire northern region and, under normal operating circumstances, airlifts close to 3,000 tonnes of load per month.

The Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force successfully airlifted a record 463 tonnes of the load from its Chandigarh airbase to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region on Tuesday.

The Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force successfully airlifted a record 463 tonnes of the load from its Chandigarh airbase to airfields and drop zones in the Ladakh region on Tuesday. The entire exercise took place in a single attempt. The effort was accomplished with the help of a fleet of 16 fixed-wing transport aircraft comprising C-17 Globemaster, the Ilyushin-76 Gajraj and the Medium lift Tactical aircraft, Antonov-32. All aircraft were loaded and taken off from the Chandigarh airbase early in the morning on Tuesday. Air Marshal NJS Dhillon AVSM, the Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command, under whose direction the effort was achieved said, "Rapid air mobility is a key component of modern warfare. This assumes greater significance in short and intense wars. This is very true in India’s context, especially when related to air mobility to airfields in the Ladakh region. With a wide spectrum of military transport aircraft in its inventory, the IAF now has a credible airlift capability which has provided succour on numerous occasions when the nation was struck with natural calamities” The entire exercise was accomplished in little less than 6 hours. Airlift of approximately 500 tonnes, in the achieved time frame and at one go, happens to be a record and enhances the assessment of the Commands’ capability towards rapid and heavy airlift. The command is entrusted with the air maintenance of the country's entire northern region and, under normal operating circumstances, airlifts close to 3,000 tonnes of load per month.

Western Air Command airlifts record 463 tonne load at one go

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Kargil war hero Air Marshal Nambiar appointed chief of Western Air Command

Western Air Command airlifts record 463 tonne load at one go