IAF Chief ACM VR Chaudhari at IAF Day 2022
Chandigarh: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari Saturday announced that the government has given approval for the establishment of a new weapon systems branch for IAF officers.
The new branch will be responsible for several weapon systems in the force and would result in savings of over Rs 3,400 crore.
While making this announcement in Chandigarh, the IAF chief said that this was the first time since Independence that a new operational branch has been created in the IAF.
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It is for the first time that the annual IAF Day parade is being held outside Delhi and NCR.
Air Chief Marshal said, “On this historic occasion, it is my privilege to announce that the government has approved the creation of a weapon system branch for the officers in the IAF.”
“This will essentially be for manning of four specialised streams of surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, remotely piloted aircraft and weapon system operators in twin and multi crew aircraft,” he said.
Air Chief Marshal Choudhari said the IAF had initiated necessary steps to ensure that its fighter squadron strength remains at the desired level.
Indigenous development of six Air Borne Early Warning and Control Mk-II systems has been sanctioned and the acquisition of ISTAR, UAVs, counter-UAS technology and strengthening networks is being actively pursued.
Indian Air Force Day 2022:
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Pointing out that the advent of drones, swarm drones, hypersonic weapons and space-based ISR systems have added a new dimension to war fighting, the Air Chief said that to effectively handle the full spectrum, artificial intelligence is being used for quicker decision making and analysis of big data.
“I am happy to report that several projects are well under way to utilise the potential of automation, data analytics and artificial intelligence to transform our operational philosophy,” he said.
Stressing that growth and success of any organisation revolves around its personnel, he called upon the air warriors to incorporate the principle of continuous process improvement at the workplace through critical problem identification, understanding the root causes and providing workable solutions to eliminate waste.
“We must focus on multi-skilling and multi-tasking to create a smart working environment and enhance efficiency,” he said.
Earlier, he reviewed an impressive ceremonial parade commanded by Gp Capt Anoop Singh, with a three aircraft formation of Mi-17 helicopters trooping the IAF ensign followed by a formation of three Rudra helicopters flying past the saluting dais in an aerial salute. The IAF’s new combat uniform was also unveiled.
