Details : | Group Captain Kanwal Preet Singh Dham (24514) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch and presently, he is commanding a premier fighter squadron of Jaguar aircraft since 16 Mar 15. The Officer is a Fighter Strike leader and alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington. He was a Directing staff (DS) of the elite Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Inspector at Directorate of Air staff Inspection (DASI) and has also served as the Flight Commander of a frontline Jaguar strike squadron. He has more than 3000 hrs of accident/incident free fighter flying with over 2000 hrs on Jaguars. As the Commanding Officer, he led from the front and ensured fulfilment of all assigned unit operational tasks. He flawlessly led the Air Force Day flypast in October 2015 and the Republic Day fly past in January 2016. His impetus towards operationally oriented training resulted in maximum aircrew being upgraded in their qualifications and proficiency. The squadron actively participated in the pan Air Force Exercise 'Livewire' 2015. During the winter detachment in Feb 2016, the squadron created history by flying a record number of sorties in a 24 hour period in an incident/accident free environment. The squadron operationalised Air Force Station Sarsawa for fighter operations by successfully conducting a detachment there. During the last one year the Squadron has flown its assigned task without any accident or human error incident. Group Captain Kanwal Preet Singh Dham keeps himself current in all the flying roles and always leads from the front with zeal and enthusiasm. He has flown more than 300 sorties during one year of his command tenure and is not only current in all flying roles assigned to the squadron but also proficient in specialist skills such as Air to Air Refueling (Dark Night) and Precision Guided Munitions delivery both by day and night. The officer relentlessly strives for perfection and fulfils all attributes of an ideal Commanding Officer. For exceptional devotion to duty and leadership, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Kanwal Preet Singh Dham. |