Article Posted on : - Nov 03, 2014

GANDHINAGAR (PTI): Air Marshal B S Dhanoa has taken charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of South-Western Air Command (SWAC) in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Air Marshal Dhanoa was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in 1978. He is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College of National Defence Academy and a graduate from the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, an official statement of IAF said on Saturday.

He replaces Air Marshal Daljit Singh who retired after the serving 38 years in the IAF.

The officer has flown over 3,000 hours on various frontline operational aircrafts and is a category A Qualified Flying Instructor, it added.

Dhanoa has held various command and staff appointments including Commanding Officer of a MiG-21 Squadron and Station Commander of a frontline fighter base and was the first Air Officer to command an Indian Military Training Team in Tajikistan, the statement said.

His operational experience also includes command of a fighter squadron during Operation 'Safed Sagar', which earned many accolades during 'Kargil' war in 1999, the IAF statement said.

Dhanoa also served as Chief Instructor (Air) at Defence Services Staff College at Wellington and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) at Air HQ, Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Air Command prior to assuming the current post, the statement said.