Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia Appointed IAF Vice-Chief
Srinagar: Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has been appointed as the new Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will assume charge on Sunday.
He will succeed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who is set to take over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on Saturday.
Currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal Walia brings nearly four decades of experience in the Indian Air Force.
During his distinguished career, he has held several important command and staff positions. He has commanded a frontline fighter squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and served as Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Bareilly.
He has flown several fighter aircraft, including MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30 MKI variants.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Air Marshal Walia was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on June 11, 1988.
He has also completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course in the United Kingdom and the National Defence College (NDC) course in Bangladesh.
His previous assignments include heading the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), serving as Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Japan and South Korea, and working as Senior Air Staff Officer of the Eastern Air Command.
Air Marshal Walia’s appointment marks another key leadership transition in the Indian Air Force.