Air Marshal VR Chaudhari to be the next Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari will take over as Chief of Air Staff after the retirement of Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria on September 30. Mr Chaudhari is currently the Vice Chief of Air Staff in the Indian Air Force.Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari was the chief of the Western Air Command from August 1, 2020. He was commissioned into Fighter Stream of the IAF on December 29, 1982. During his service, he has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal. He headed the Contract Negotiating Committee for the Rafale jets deal and was later among the first pilots of the Indian Air Force to fly the Rafale jets. Defence Ministry spokesman A Bharat Bhushan Babu tweeted: “Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal V R Chaudhari, PVSM, AVSM, VM presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of Air Staff.”