Govt appoints Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria as next IAF chief

An alumnus of the NDA, Bhadauria was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1980 and won the coveted 'Sword of Honour' for standing first in the overall order of merit

Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (pictured) will be the next chief of Air Staff, the government announced on Thursday. Bhadauria, who took over as vice chief of the Indian Air Force in May this year, will take charge from the incumbent IAF Chief B S Dhanoa on September 30, upon his superannuation.

“The government has decided to appoint  Air Marshal R K S Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, currently  vice chief of air staff as next chief of the Air Staff,” the defence ministry’s principal spokesperson tweeted.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Bhadauria was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1980 and won the coveted ‘Sword of Honour’ for standing first in the overall order of merit.