Article Posted on : - Feb 28, 2017

NEW DELHI (PTI): Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria has been appointed as the new chief of the Southern Air Command.

He will succeed Air Marshal S Neelakantan.

IAF sources said Bhadauria is expected to assume charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command on Wednesday.

Bhadauria has been serving Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) since January 2016. He has been overseeing the critical procurement process of the IAF. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Bhadauria was commissioned in the IAF in June 1980.

Prior to taking over as DCAS, Air Marshal Bhadauria was Senior Air Staff Officer at Central Air Command of IAF.

With a career spanning over more than 35 years, Bhadauria has commanded a Jaguar Squadron and a premier Air Force base in the South Western Sector.

He is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal conferred in 2013 and 2002 respectively.

The Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram and looks after air defence of Southern peninsula.