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Awardee List for the year 2017
A total of 66 Awards are listed.
Param Vishist Seva Medal : 6 | Ati Vishist Seva Medal : 12 | Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) : 20 | Vishist Seva Medal : 28 |
 Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Marshal | Virender Mohan Khanna 15071 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
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| Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Sunderraman Neelakantan 15184 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Ravinder Kumar Dhir 15678 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
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| Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Jasbir Walia 15684 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Bipin Bihari Prasad Sinha 15748 ADM | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Param Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Sreedhara Panicker Radha Krishnan Nair 16040 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
 Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Prashant Purushottam Khandekar 15095 AE(L) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Sanjay Sharma 15839 AE(L) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Jasjit Singh Kler 16225 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
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| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Marshal | Hemant Narayan Bhagwat 16423 ADM | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Rajiv Gandotra 16748 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Shiv Shanker Sharma 17073 EDN | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : | Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Balbhadra Radha Krishna 17326 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Deepak Gaur 17404 MED | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Balakrishnan Manikantan 18291 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Man Singh Awana 19153 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Praveen Keshav Vohra 19162 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Ati Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Shivkumar Srinivasan 19520 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
 Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Sqn Ldr | Sukhwinder Singh Multani 27002 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 18 May 16 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Squadron Leader Sukhwinder Singh Multani (27002) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a frontline Mi-17 V5 unit with effect from 24 Aug 15. He has flown over 3500 accident free hours on helicopter. In the wee hours of 18 May 16, Indian Air Force received a frantic call from Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board informing a forest fire raging on Trikuta hill which was fast approaching the shrine. Sqn Ldr Multani was immediately tasked for dousing the fire by the use of Bambi bucket. He immediately swung into action and got airborne for the site. By then, the fire had turned into an inferno and was only 100m from the main walkway to the shrine, endangering the lives of thousands of pilgrims. The fire was spotted on a steep slope surrounded by tall trees making it inaccessible to the fire fighters on ground. Realising the time criticality, with his experience and awareness of the area, he identified the reservoir of Salal Dam at Riasi as a potential source for filling up water. Reduced visibility due to smoke, excessive turbulence and limited turn radius reduced any margin of error as the aircraft had to be operated at its maximum capacity. The alignment of the fire line required the water drop to be carried out in a direction facing into the hill, making it dangerously difficult unlike other firefighting operations. With the Bambi bucket under slung at 30 m below the aircraft, the terrain clearance was marginal. The complexity of the mission required courage and skillful handling of the helicopter maintaining a high degree of situational awareness. During the process of dousing the fire the bunch cable holding the Bambi bucket had entangled, thereby making it impossible to fill up the water. Returning to base for rectification would have caused loss of precious time thereby, allowing the fire to spread putting in danger lives of thousands of pilgrims. Sqn Ldr Multani located a restricted but clear patch next to the reservoir and with no assistance available on ground to secure the Bambi, he deftly maneuvered the aircraft to land safely. Having removed the entanglement personally, he resumed the firefighting operations with courage and commitment. Accurate and relentless operations were able to douse the fire, preventing a major catastrophe in the Trikuta hills. For this act of exceptional courage in saving precious lives, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Sukhwinder Singh Multani. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Sqn Ldr | Vikas Puri 27716 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 12 Mar 16 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Squadron Leader Vikas Puri (27716) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a Mi-17 Helicopter Unit since 22 Apr 13. He is the Unit Helicopter Combat Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner. On 12 Mar 2016, Sqn Ldr Vikas Puri was detailed to fly a Mi-17 helicopter from Shillong to Tezpur with AOC-in-C, HQ EAC and other senior officials of his entourage on board. After an uneventful flight of 30 minutes, his aircraft experienced fuel booster pump failure which immediately leads to "rarest of the rare" emergency of "both engine failure" in Mi-17 helicopter. Being at a height of only 4000 feet above in a difficult terrain and with very limited time in hand, he promptly analysed the situation and quickly initiated correct recovery actions. Unaware of the actual cause of failure, displaying exceptional courage, astute technical knowledge, exceptional crew coordination, timely ingenious actions and adept handling of the toughest emergency in a helicopter, he recovered the aircraft safely by force landing the aircraft. Even while losing height critically, he maintained his composure and dexterously maneuvered the helicopter to safety barely 250 meter above ground level thereby averting a certain catastrophe. In this fearless and courageous effort, he not only saved sixteen invaluable lives but also a precious war waging asset. He showed exemplary valour, bravery, maturity, exceptional professionalism and situational awareness in tackling one of the gravest emergency in a Mi-17 helicopter. For this act of exceptional courage, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Vikas Puri. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Sqn Ldr | Rijul Sharma 29911 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 01 Jun 16 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Squadron Leader Rijul Sharma (29911) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a MiG 29 Squadron wef 11 Apr 16 and has been performing the duties of a Squadron pilot. On 01 Jun 16, Squadron Leader Rijul Sharma was authorised to fly an Air Test sortie on MiG 29 aircraft which involved testing of aircraft at Supersonic Speeds at a height of 10 Km. While conducting this test in Supersonic Flying corridor; 110 km away from base at a speed of 1.1 Mach which corresponds to 1200-1300 Krnph of true air speed, the canopy perspex of the aircraft shattered. This resulted in explosive decompression and perspex pieces hitting the officer on his right shoulder. In the absence of canopy; he was exposed to extremely low temperatures of minus 28 deg C and very severe wind blast owing to very high speed. Human exposure to such low temperatures, aeromedical problems of decompression sickness and few seconds to useful conciseness due to Hypoxia required prompt actions on the part of the pilot. Weighing against the option of ejecting and displaying courage of an exceptional order, Sqn Ldr Sharma decided to recover the aircraft. In the process, he totally disregarded his critical shoulder injury and the discomfort posed by high speed, high altitude and low temperatures. To avoid the effects of aero-medical problems he quickly descended to 3 Km and simultaneously reduced speed for effective control of the aircraft. Displaying concern to other lives and national assets he avoided flying close to oil installations and populated areas. Notwithstanding the reduced frontal visibility, very high cockpit noise level and heavy aircraft weight, he skillfully handled the damaged aircraft and executed a safe emergency landing, without any further damage to the aircraft. His actions in handling such a critical emergency, not only saved his own life and the aircraft, but also prevented possible catastrophic damage to en-route strategically important and vital petro-chemical installations and populated areas. For this act of exceptional courage, very high standards of professionalism in recovering a damaged aircraft, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Rijul Sharma. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Sqn Ldr | Ramesh Verma 31160 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 11 Jul 16 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Squadron Leader Ramesh Verma (31160) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a Su-30 MKI Squadron, since 02 Dec 2013. On 11 Jul 16, Sqn Ldr Ramesh Verma was authorised for a battle inoculation mission, by Dark Night. While carrying out the attack profile, the front canopy burst with a loud bang. Sqn Ldr Verma was hit by large pieces of canopy Perspex with great force on his neck, resulting in a deep wound and injury to his right shoulder. The severe wind blast also caused his head to hit the canopy combing, almost rendering him unconscious. Sqn Ldr Verma was quick to regain control of the aircraft using his instincts. His vision had become hazy due to the strong blast of wind and possible fine powder from the bursting canopy fragments, in his eye. There was also no communication possible either with his rear seat WSO (who was not a pilot), or with any ground agency. The aircraft was very close to Bareilly town and an ejection would have resulted in catastrophic damage on ground. Despite a bleeding wound, pain and stiffness in his right shoulder, he lowered his seat, selected the dark visor down and initiated recovery keeping clear of populated area. Lowering of the dark visor was essential to protect his eyes, though it considerably reduced visibility on a dark night. Large pieces of the canopy had also fallen inside the cockpit and could have interfered with the flying controls and the ejection seat. Abandoning the crippled aircraft would have resulted in extensive damage on ground and the loss of a very expensive aircraft. He displayed courage of an exceptional order in deciding to brave the strong air blast inside the cockpit, very hazy vision and grave injuries to his shoulder and arm while recovering the aircraft in a dark night. The courage, resolve, and professional skill displayed by the officer were of the highest order. For this act of exceptional courage, preventing loss of property and life on ground and recovering an expensive aircraft inspite of being wounded, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Squadron Leader Ramesh Verma. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
 Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Partho Pratim Modak 21866 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Partho Pratim Modak (21866) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch on 13 Jun 1992 and is presently posted as Station Commander of Air Force Station Panagarh. He has over 1300 hrs of Jaguar and Hunter flying and is a Qualified RPA Instructor with over 2000 hrs of flying. He has held several field and staff appointments. These include Flight Commander and Commanding Officer of a RPA squadron, deputation to NTRO and Director NBC. As Station Commander, his professional expertise, dynamism and inspiring leadership have resulted in the Station working as an efficient, motivated and highly productive team. His initiative and foresight have contributed immensely towards the meticulous analysis of the gaps in conceptualising and developing the new base at Panagarh. He was posted to Panagarh when the station was under upgradation to a major flying Wing with proposed induction of a strategic Medium Lift Transport aircraft round the corner. To support flying operations the first achievement was the successful completion of runway resurfacing on 04 Aug 15 ensuring quality works. The officer initiated other work services to improve the working and living environment. Based on the future basing plan the officer took the initiative to process the case for acquisition of 800 acres land (380 private and 420 forest land). Due to his personal involvement the case for transfer of 167 acres of equivalent land of Andal to Air Force Station Panagarh received approval of Gol. The officer has also been instrumental in operationalisation of a long abandoned airfield at Rampurhat which is now being used by rotary and fixed wing ac. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Partho Pratim Modak. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Jaspreet Singh 22547 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Jaspreet Singh (22547) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in flying branch as a pilot on 21 Jun 93. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor, Fighter Strike Leader and a graduate of the Command and Staff College, France. He has flown MiG-21 FL, MiG-23 BN, MiG-23 MF and MiG-27 ML aircraft and has over 2700 hours of accident free flying to his credit. He has flown extensively in Operational missions during Kargil Ops and has been awarded Mention in-Despatches. He has commanded a SAGW Sqn and been a DS at DSSC Wellington. The officer is now posted at HQ SWAC. As CO of SAGW Sqn located at a frontline base, through his exceptional initiative and drive he ensured high operational status of the Squadron, categorisation of all combat crew in the shortest possible time and outstanding performance of the squadron in operational exercises. In his present appointment, he has been actively involved in functioning of MiG 27 upgrade fleet, planning of Command Yojna, conduct of Weapons Meet for Fighter Sqns and planning of Annual Armament training for fighter Sqns in the command AOR. Working with selfless missionary zeal, with ingenuity and resourcefulness, he has not only accomplished the allotted mandate in a planned and meticulous manner, but also ensured value addition in every task undertaken by him. Due to his undaunted involvement and constant monitoring there has been an enhancement in flying undertaken, night flying percentages, weapon delivery and serviceability status of MiG 27 Upg fleet. This in turn has led to improvement in the Ops status and overall Operational potential of the MiG- 27 Upgradation squadrons. He has been actively involved in successful hosting of large scale flying exercises in SWAC AOR. These include the bilateral lndo-French flying exercise Garuda V, SCOW and Ex Eklavaya, wherein large number of aircraft participated and accident/ incident free flying was carried out. As the Officer-in-charge of Ex Iron Fist 2016, he played a pivotal role in planning and execution of the exercise. The planning process of the exercise spanned more than a year and involved coordination with multiple agencies. As a result of his untiring and deft initiatives, the main event showcasing the operational capability of IAF was undertaken in an exemplary manner in front of the President, PM and other dignitaries. IAF has benefitted immensely from the Operational canvas covered and positive attention received during the exercise. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Jaspreet Singh. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Sanjay Aswal 22918 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Sanjay Aswal (22918) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch on 18 Jun 94. Gp Capt Aswal has held several important appointments during the span of his career. He has served as a Directing Staff in the prestigious Flying Instructors' School and as an Air Force Examiner in Aircrew Examining Board. He was also sent on deputation to Botswana on instructional assignments as part of IAF Training Team. The officer established a new Hawk Operational Training Squadron as a Chief Flying Instructor in Air Force Station Bidar. He is a Category 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor with a total flying experience of nearly 4,500 hours. For his commitment to service and devotion to duty he was commended by the Chief of Air Staff in Jan 07. Since 07 Ju114, in his current appointment as Chief Instructor at Air Force Station Bidar, the officer has ensured maintenance of highest flying standards and flight safety consciousness in the process of training newly commissioned pilots. His effort was also appreciated by the CAS during his visit to the Station in Mar 15. Under his supervision, over the last two years, the Hawk Squadrons have flown in excess of 17000 hours. Despite the continuous pressures of training task, he has ensured timely upgradation of the operational status of Instructors. In2015, when two Hawk Squadrons had to be relocated to Air Force Station Kalaikunda, he efficiently supervised this challenging and enormous task. When the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team was resurrected in 2015, apart from carrying out his normal duties, he personally flew with team and assisted them in validating the new syllabus, SOPs and sorties profile of formation aerobatics. Close monitoring and personal involvement in critical issues like availability of debrief aids, flying publications and flying clothing has been commendable and has had a positive effect on the training flying operations. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Sanjay AswaL | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Vivek Vichitra Gupta 22927 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Vivek Vichitra Gupta (22927) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as fighter pilot in the flying branch on 18 Jun 94. He is a Cat 'A' Qualified Flying Instructor and Type Examiner with over 3100 hours experience. He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College and has undergone the Air War Course(AWC} at Maxwell AFB, USA. He took over command of the prestigious Flying Instructor's School on 22 Jun 15. The officer has the unique distinction of being the Flight Commander and the Commanding Officer of his first Operational Squadron. As CO of a MiG-27 UPG squadron, he made significant contributions to improve the operational capability of the unit and achieved an envious aerospace record of zero incidents / accidents during his tenure. Even at AWC, he was adjudged as an outstanding professional, brilliant scholar and an outstanding ambassador of Indian Air Force. Gp Capt VV Gupta took over the command of Flying Instructors' School during a phase of transition and transformation. He was entrusted with the onerous responsibility of smooth de-induction of Kiran Mk II with simultaneous induction of PC-7. His dynamic decision making came to the fore when induction of PC-7 with on-going course demanded speedy implementation of plans. Using exceptional professional acumen, vision and vast instructional experience, he led his team of carefully chosen officers to revise and restructure entire training syllabus, SOPs, Airborne Instructional Techniques and Briefing Guide. All this was at a time when Chennai was experiencing the worst ever floods and FIS was entrusted the task of providing succor to the stranded populace. Under his able leadership, FIS rose to the occasion with the technicians ensuring 100% serviceability and the aircrew displaying true professionalism and zeal for the task at hand. Another first in the history of FIS, was the quantum increase in the QFIC strength. His initiative and drive to marshal scare resources effectively-and efficiently harmonize the Operational, Maintenance and Administrative activities have seen smooth and timely progress of training without compromising on the quality of training. His scrupulous supervision and strict adherence to aerospace safety is evident from the accident free flying of an average of 8000 hours per year. He has personally led from the front flying in excess of 250 hrs in the two courses. His innovative thinking and the ardour to better the learning environment had led to improvisation of training aids, e-Iearning, etc. His management skills have helped him maintain a good liaison with all support agencies at base, resulting in a productive and safe flying environment. His interactive and engaging leadership style has acted as a catalyst for his subordinates to drive themselves to find solutions through innovative and out of the box thinking. Gp Gapt VV Gupta has always placed Service-before-self and relentlessly strived for organisational growth. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Vivek Vichitra Gupta. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Sadasivam Ramaswami 22973 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Sadasivam Ramaswami (22973) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a transport pilot in flying branch on 18 Jun 1994. He has been in command of Paratroopers Training School (PTS) since 09 Jun 14. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and Transport Combat Leader, qualified on An-32, IL-76/78, AWACS and basic trainers in the IAF. He has over 6800 flying hours to his credit. He was commended by AOC-in-C and CAS. Group Captain Sadasivam Ramaswami has played a pivotal role in enhancing the operational potential of the transport fleet in general and PTS in particular. His initiatives and perseverance resulted in the first ever inland Water Para Jump by transport aircraft. He personally oversaw the modifications in the indigenous AN-32 heavy drop system and revived heavy drops by An-32 in Apr 15. He went further to re-initiate tandem heavy drops from An-32. From Apr 15 till date, the unit has undertaken over 20 successful Heavy drops which is unprecedented and has contributed extensively to the potency of the Airborne Forces. Under his leadership, PTS undertook many historical para drop exercises. Most of the planning and co-ordination was affected by the officer. He also played the role of An-32 Type Force Commander for two key drops. He was also instrumental in PTS successfully completing its mandate. The officer personally led his Sqn during HADR operations as part of OP Megh Rahat (J&K 2014) and Op Maitri (Nepal 2015). The contribution of PTS during these operations was commendable. The officer maintained a close knit and professional unit. He led by example and was a role model for his subordinates. He volunteered and successfully completed the Basic Parachute course in Apr 16 and earned the coveted Para Brevet. He has elevated the status of PTS to rank amongst the best flying units of the IAF. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Sadasivam Ramaswami. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Ajay Kumar Chaudhary 23214 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Ajay Kumar Chaudhary (23214) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in flying branch and is the Commanding Officer of a MiG 29 Squadron with effect from 17 May 2014. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor with over 3350 hours of flying. He has been commended by Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Indian Air Force in 1997. He was also commended by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command for sustained hard work and selfless devotion to duty. Group Captain AK Chaudhary is a dynamic officer who was part of the Hawk Induction team. He was instrumental in the safe and efficient induction of the HAWK Advanced jet Trainer (AJT) in Indian Air Force. The officer's immaculate planning and professional knowledge was evident in preparation of Training Syllabi, Standard Operating Procedures and designing of indigenous HAWK Video Debrief System. He was also actively involved in the preliminary planning and acceptance of Hawk Simulators. Under his Command, the Squadron has consistently achieved its operational tasks along with achieving the training of ab-intitio pilots on the fleet. During his tenure, the Squadron has undertaken numerous missions from Leh and Thoise. Under his able leadership, the unit successfully executed numerous operational tasks such as Ex LlVEWIRE and Ex SINDEX 2014 with Singapore Air Force. He also led the first ever fighter detachment that operated from Thoise Airfield. He has been instrumental in formulating procedures and initiating the process for operational exploitation MiG 29 aircraft in the l.adakh area. His leadership style, professional acumen personal involvement and empathy have motivated all air warriors under his command to strive for higher standards in the interest of the service. For his exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Ajay Kumar Chaudhary. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Vishal Malhotra 23518 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Vishal Malhotra (23518) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in fighter stream in Jun 1995 and is the Commanding Officer of a Su-30MKI Squadron since January 2014. Gp Capt Malhotra is a very experienced Qualified Flying Instructor who is qualified on a number of different aircraft types. He was one of the pioneers of Hawk training in the IAF, having been selected to be amongst the first batch of instructors to undergo the Hawk conversion in the UK. In that capacity, he contributed immensely in setting up the foundations of the training system, which has evolved into its present form. He has undergone the Staff Course in Australia in 2011 and by his sheer hard work and performance, demonstrated the high calilber of an IAF officer amongst international peers. Gp Capt Malhotra took over command of his Sqn in very unsettled conditions. Due to non-availability of the runway at its home base, the Sqn spent almost one and a half years, in continuous outstation detachments. The challenges of maintaining serviceability, operational efficiency, morale and administration are far more complex when at different outstation bases. He dealt with the aspirations of all aircrew, officers and other personnel very empathetically. He managed these many complex stresses extremely well and displayed a high quality of leadership, creating a very cohesive flying unit. This was evident in the very high state of operational capability of the Sqn. He has led all activities by personal example and all the sqn pilots were qualified to the highest possible level, commensurate with their experience. The Sqn always met its operational commitments in all exercises and on a routine basis. He ensured that the quality of flying was of a very high caliber and all the crew were capable of participating competently in very complex scenarios. The Sqn also maintained a very high level of serviceability, consistently. This was possible with judicious planning, careful stagger and focused attention to even the most routine un-serviceabilities. Due to his constant involvement and demand for excellence in all activities, the Sqn was adjudged the Best Fighter Sqn in the Command. For his professional competence, high quality of leadership and exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Vishal Malhotra. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Manoj Nair 23725 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Manoj Nair (23725) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in flying branch and is currently on the posted strength of Advance Head Quarter South Western Air Command. He was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in the flying branch on 16 Dec 95. During his 20 years of service he has performed the duties of an operational Squadron pilot in four different fighter squadrons. He has been the Flight Commander of a Su-30 MKI Squadron and also served as the Joint Director (Flying) at Directorate of Air Staff Inspection at Air Head Quarter. He has recently finished his Command tenure of a Su-30 MKI Squadron. Gp Capt Manoj is a Fighter Combat Leader with over 4000 hours of accident free fighter flying of Su 30 MKI and MiG 21 T-75 aircraft. The officer has more than 3500 hours on SU-30 aircraft itself. He has been awarded with three stars for flight safety for 1500 hrs of accident! incident free flying on 17 Apr 08. He has been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Head Quarter South Western Air Command on 08 Oct 02 and 26 Jan 10 and commended by the Chief of the Air Staff on 26 Jan 12 and further commended by Commanding-in-Chief, Strategic Force Command on 24 Aug 16. Gp Capt Manoj is an exceptional professional who has led his unit by personal example of the highest standards. In the past one year, due to meticulous planning and execution of operational flying training, the Squadron has ensured fully operational status for each and every available aircrew in the Squadron. Along with this, the Squadron's average aircraft serviceability has increased by over 10% due to the planning and foresight of the officer. He has always led the Squadron from front, served as a role model to his subordinates with his tireless zeal, knowledge and maturity. Apart from flying training he has ensured that the young pilots were groomed to be 'officers and gentlemen' while understanding and upholding the traditions and enduring values of the Indian Air Force. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Manoj Nair (Retired). | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Mandeep Singh Sehrawat 23756 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Mandeep Singh Sehrawat (23756) F (P) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch on 16 Dec 95. He is a Cat 'A' OFI with 5250 of accident free flying hours; has been a DS at FIS and an Air Force Examiner. Presently, he is commanding an Avro Sqn at one of the premier Air base in South Western sector, since 16 May 14. He played a key role in operationalisation of Pithoragarh and Dharasu airfields, which became lifeline during relief ops in Utarakhand. As an AFE he was instrumental in overhauling of RHSCP training and formulation of the current AFO 49/2015 on aircrew categorisation. He was awarded 'Menekshaw Medal' for standing First in the order of merit at DSSC, a first ever for a transport pilot. He was also adjudged' best in Ground Subjects' during OFIC. He was commended by the Chief of the Air Staff on 08 act 10. As Commanding officer of his present unit, he spearheaded trial landings at Keshod, Kandla, Mundra and finally Assault Landing at Pokhran, a 'first' for the Avro. On 10 Nov 15, the squadron created history by launching all nine ac, achieving 100% serviceability on the ageing fleet. He has made most of the Challenge to conduct Stage III training on HS-748, overhauling the process of type training and reinitiating of Low Level training. During the last two years, his squadron has performed exceptionally well in AEB, and in January 2015, the squadron was assessed as Average Plus in all facets of inspection by DASI. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Mandeep Singh Sehrawat. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Sandeep Singh 24011 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Sandeep Singh (24011) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in fighter stream on 29 Jun 96 and has over 2000 hours of flying experience on Mig-21 T-75, MiG-21 T-96, Mig-27 ML and Mig-27 UPG aircraft. He is a Fighter Strike Leader (FSL), Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner (IRIE), and graduate of Defence Services Staff College. On completion of his tenure as Flight Commander of a Mig-27 ML Sqn, he took over command of a Mig-27 ML Sqn on 12 Jan 15. In the past he has been awarded commendation by AOC-in-C for his professional acumen. The officer took over command of the Sqn only after a few months of its relocation to a new base. This brought about new challenges in running the Sqn and meeting the operational aspirations of the aircrew with limited assets. With painstaking effort and foresight, he set about maximising the operational potential of the Sqn. With focused planning and training, all aircrew of the unit were operational and valley qualified within a very short span of time. The fleet serviceability improved considerably under his able dynamic leadership. Under his command, the Sqn also took over the role of Banner Target Tow (BD) and in a record time of a week, eight aircrew were declared banner qualified. The officer with his multi-dimensional initiatives has effected several innovations towards flight safety, with the Sqn maintaining an enviable flight safety record. Besides completing the allotted task in an extremely professional manner, the Sqn has also been interacting with the Army to train together leading to excellent rapport with the local Army units and in turn the Corps. This jointmanship was instrumental in garnering extensive support from the Army for the arduous task of preparing for President's Standards Presentation (PSP) at Hasimara. His keen involvement and quest for excellence was the key to the successful conduct of PSP at Hasimara. A record number of veterans were looked after very professionally and all events relating to PSP were conducted in a befitting manner despite the enormity of planning and coordination involved. Additionally, the officer has been instrumental in validating the Aircraft Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) modification and carriage by Mig-27 ML, followed by formulation of SOP. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to duty) to Group Captain Sandeep Singh. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Navjot Singh Bhinder 24484 F(P) | Unit : No.3 Squadron | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Citation Not Available | ||||
| Reference: | |||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Kanwal Preet Singh Dham 24514 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| 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. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Nishant Singh 24887 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Nishant Singh (24887) was commissioned in the Indian Air force as a pilot in flying branch on 20 Dec 1997. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Test Pilot. He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College with OS Grading. Previously, he has held the appointments of Senior Test Flying Instructor (STFI) at Air Force Test Pilots School and Flight Commander of a MiG 21 Bison Squadron (Sqn). Currently, he is posted as Commanding Officer of a MiG 27 Upgrade Sqn. With his exceptional planning ability and leadership skills he motivated his unit personnel to achieve high ac serviceability and 40 %enhancement in flying task in the last two years with limited resources. Leading from the front with approximately 320 hrs to his credit, the Sqn achieved a much more than the normal monthly average of the past. This enhanced flying task has resulted in under trainee pilots becoming operational in record time of less than a year. The MiG 27 Upgrade fleet had been reporting random weapon inaccuracies. With his sound knowledge of weapon testing he put forward methods to analyse the errors and initiated steps to correct them. This helped the sqn being adjudged 3'd in Ex Eklavya twice in last two years with exceptional scores. This accurate weapon delivery was also displayed by the MiG 27 upgrade squadrons in Ex Iron Fist achieving direct hits by day and night. With his knowledge about systems and keenness to improve, he has revived the usage of a Photo Reccee pod by digitizing the films and reducing the time frame for analysis by almost half. This innovation with locally available resources at minimal cost has improved the operational capability of the ac in the Reccee role many folds. Under his guidance, the unit was instrumental in re-operationalisation of a base in Eastern Sector during Ex Live Wire for fighter operations. His professional competence has been amply displayed by his own handling of emergencies like Hydraulic failure and DC Gene failure leading to safe recovery of aircraft. Under his leadership the operational strength of the unit has surged ahead both by day and night with optimal utilization of resources. For his exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Nishant Singh. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) | |||||
| Gp Capt | Satbir Singh 24894 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Group Captain Satbir Singh (24894) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in fighter stream on 20 Dec 97. He has been the flight commander of a Su 30 MKI Squadron and is presently posted as the Commanding Officer of a Su 30 MKI Squadron since 27 Jan 15. He has close to 3000 hours of flying experience on MiG 21, Su 30K, Su 30MKI, Kiran and HPT 32 aircraft. The officer is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner. Even as a young operational pilot of a Su 30 Squadron, the officer was specially chosen to represent the IAF in the first of the many international exercises like, COPE-INDIA, SINDEX and GARUDA. His exemplary contribution to the relocation and operationalisation of a Su 30MKI squadron to a forward base enhanced the operational capability of the IAF. He was specially chosen as the flight commander to resurrect a Su 30MKI squadron at a frontline base. He handled this arduous task with his foresight and pro-active approach which ensured that the squadron became operational in a record time and the squadron was adjudged as Average Plus by the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection team. In the past he has been awarded Commendation by Chief of the Air Staff for professional acumen and contribution to aerospace safety. Gp Capt Satbir Singh, on assuming the command of a frontline fighter squadron in the east, was faced with the challenge of preparing the squadron for Exercise Livewire and operationalising the civil airfields. He meticulously planned the activation of a remote civil airfield in the eastern theatre and led from the front by landing a fighter aircraft in a challenging environment displaying his professional prowess. It was due to his meticulous planning, dynamic leadership and an eye for details that the squadron maintained very high serviceability and flew extensively during Ex Livewire in Nov 15. His operational orientation and focus have led to a high quality of training, a substantial quantum increase in squadron's operational capability and a very high level of operational readiness. The major achievements includes exemplary performance of his squadron during exercises like Akraman, Livewire, EW workshop, Air to Air firing and successful accomplishment of all Air Force/ Command Level tasking. He was the team leader for the Joint Military Training with the Singapore Air Force. It was his personal involvement which ensured a professional conduct of this prestigious international exercise. Gp Capt Satbir Singh has nurtured a feeling of pride and utmost professionalism in all the air warriors of the squadron. His efforts vis-a-vis team building and task accomplishment were par excellence which ensured smooth conduct of all the squadron operations. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Satbir Singh. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Wg Cdr | Subhash Singh Rao 25827 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 15 Aug 17 | Announced 15 Aug 17 | |
| Details : |  Wing Commander Subhash Singh Rao (25827) Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a Mig-21 (Bis) Squadron with effect from 18 Apr 2015 and has been performing the duties of Squadron Flight Commander. On 10 Oct 2016, Wing Commander Subhash Singh Rao was detailed for an air test sortie. After an uneventful sortie, when he came in for landing, he was informed that the starboard main wheel of his aircraft was misaligned. This abnormality, a serious defect, would have resulted in pilot abandoning the aircraft through ejection. This potentially hazardous situation would have resulted in total loss of the aircraft, decapitating injuries to pilot as well as loss of property on ground. The situation was averted due to the timely decision taken by Wing Commander Subhash Singh Rao. In a very short time he was able to correctly assess the situation at hand and correlate the emergency with a similar incident. He exercised extreme caution and displayed precision flying of the highest degree and took a courageous decision to execute the landing of the aircraft under stress. On landing, the wheel of the aircraft failed and the aircraft started going off the runway. Wing Commander Subhash Singh Rao displayed superior skills in maintaining control of the aircraft and stopped the aircraft on the runway, thereby saving the aircraft. Even under a situation of considerable duress, Wing Commander Rao maintained a cool and calm composure. He was able to communicate his chain of thoughts to the personnel on ground which further aided in the safe recovery of the aircraft without creating panic. Displaying exceptional courage, Wg Cdr Rao was able to make an extremely well executed landing of the aircraft. He was able to prevent the loss of one valuable fighter aircraft while at the same time ensuring that there was no loss of life and property on ground to any civil or military infrastructure. For this act of exceptional courage, tenacity and valour beyond the call of duty shown for safely recovering a stricken aircraft, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Wing Commander Subhash Singh Rao. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) | |||||
| Wg Cdr | Ravinder Ahlawat 26300 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 15 Aug 17 | Announced 15 Aug 17 | |
| Details : |  Wg Cdr Ravinder Ahlawat (26300-T) Flying (Pilot) has been on the posted strength of a front line Indian Air Force Establishment since 20 April 2013. On 26 Ju116, he was authorized to carry out a 'Range Instructional Technique' (RIT) sortie over Pokharan Range in Mirage 2000 Trainer aircraft as the captain of the aircraft, occupying the front cockpit. While carrying out "Pull Up Attack" circuit, at 500 ft above ground level at high speeds and in a tum, the aircraft experienced a Bird Hit. The severity of the impact shattered the canopy perspex completely and the bird hit Wg Cdr Ahlawat, damaging his helmet, breaking his visor and injuring his face, neck, arms and chest resulting in profuse bleeding and nearly incapacitating him. The bird also broke the glass separator between the front and the rear cockpit as well. The impact also damaged the front pilot ejection system. Due to the injuries, blood streaming down his face and bird remains, Wg Cdr Ahlawat had limited vision available from his left eye only. Despite the nature of his injuries, shock of impact, high wind blast and minimal reaction time since the aircraft was flying at low level, he took all the emergency actions correctly to save the aircraft and people of a village in close vicinity of the Pokharan range. During recovery, the rear pilot could not see the runway due to the perspex being obscured. Without the front pilot taking over and landing, the aircraft would have to be abandoned. There were significant chances of ejection system failure due to damage to the same. Displaying gallantry and upholding the virtues of "service-before-self", Wg Cdr Ahlawat used his one hand to open his left eye, took over the controls with the other hand and 'despite incapacitating injuries, limited binocular vision and with the canopy perspex blown off, he executed a safe landing on the nearest runway of an Air Force Base which resulted in saving of an expensive national asset and lives on ground. For this act of gallantry, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) to Wing Commander Ravinder Ahlawat. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
 Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Kantipudi Suresh Babu 17588 MET | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Vice Marshal Kantipludi Suresh Babu (17588) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in Meteorological branch on 14 Jun 1985. Apart from holding various important appointments in field units, he has held several instructional and staff appointments, which include tenure as Senior Directing Staff (Met) at Air Force Administrative College, C Met 0 at HQ EAC and Principal Director (Met) at Air HQ before taking over as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Met) on 01 Jan 2013. During his tenure as C Met 0, HQ WAC, he ensured that operational Met guidelines and advisories of exceptional order were issued for smooth conduct of routine operational flying as well as for various exercises in the AOR of HQ EAC. As Directing Staff in the Faculty of Meteorology, he brought about significant improvements in the course curriculum be revamping in-service courses. He has been commended by AOC-in-C in 2001 and by the CAS in 2004. During his tenure appointment as PO (Met) at Air HQ and thereafter as ACAS (Met), his professional vision and dedicated approach has enabled modernisation of the Met infrastructure in the IAF. He oversaw and ensured proper installation and commissioning of Microwave Radiometers (MWR), Lightning Detection System (LTS) Network, High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) Receiver and Digital Theodolites for weather observation. Under his able leadership, Centre for Air Force Numerical Weather Prediction (AFCNWP) has emerged as the meteorological centre of excellence for operational guidance for the Indian Air Force and is being utilised by operators as well as forecasters all over the IAF. He was instrumental in provisioning of accurate weather observation and quality weather forecasts during conduct of various exercises like Iron Fist, Live Wire, Dakshin Prahar, Eastern Seaboard, Shock Effect besides national events like RD Parade and HADR Operations like Megh Rahat and Cyclone Hudbud .. It is due to his dynamism and proactive approach that the Met service are fine-tuned and operationally critical and relevant data on wind shear, icing information etc. are continuously updated on the web portal, 'Mausam on Line', developed in-house at no extra cost to the exchequer. The portal comprehensively addresses the requirements of Met services and products for the various users across the Air Force. Relentless and meticulous efforts put in by the Air Officer have culminated in successful conclusion of the contract for 11 Doppler Weather Radars. With the induction of these DWRs, the current lots of projects for modernisation of Met services will be completed, greatly enhance the flight safety environment in the IAF. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Vice Marshal Kantipudi Suresh Babu. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Vibhas Pande 17647 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Vice Marshal Vibhas Pande (17647) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch on 29 Aug 84. The Air Officer has held the appointments of Senior Production Engineer (SPE) at 11 BRD, Directing Staff at College of Air Warfare, Commanding Officer of Armament Inspection Wing (AAIW) & 1 Central Indigenisation and Manufacturing Depot (CIMD) and Command Engineering Officer at HQ WAC. As SPE at 11 BRD, the officer introduced the concept of High Failure Rate Aggregates (HARAs) to improve the reliability of such aggregates. His contribution towards Indigenisation resulted in development of several technologically complex items that included Power Supply Modules and Main Landing Gear axle of MIG-29 aircraft. For his professional contribution, he was commended by Chief of Air Staff in 2001. He has held the appointment of Air Officer Commanding at 11 BRD, AF since 05 Oct 15 and has recently taken over as SMSO, EAC. At AAIW, he established the reason for bursting of imported 57 mm rockets. This enabled IAF to negotiate with OEM to provide free of cost refurbishment of propellant for the entire lot of one lakh rockets. During his tenure as Command Engineering Officer at HQ WAC, he contributed effectively towards Maintenance Safety by bringing in improvement in maintenance culture. With effective marshaling of resources placed under him, he could achieve reduced downtime of assets that resulted in marked improvement in serviceability status across the fleets. Reduction of AOG, being one of the KRAs, resulted in recovery/ rotation of more than 50 prolonged AOG aircraft within a span of two years. This had a direct bearing towards enhancement of operational capabilities of IAF, wherein the Operational Units under HQ WAC witnessed 10% year on year increase in flying efforts for the two consecutive years. As Air Officer Commanding at 11 BRD, in a short span of time, he instituted measures to step up production activities to catch up with the task and ensured adherence to production timelines. In addition, cases for LE studies on Landing Gears and Hydraulic Booster of MIG-29 ac have been initiated for long term benefit and sustenance of fleet. On the other hand, he has also put in concerted efforts to improve quality of life of Depot personnel through upgradation of community amenities as well as working environment. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Vice Marshal Vibhas Pande. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| AVM | Pothureddi Subhash Babu 17908 ACCT | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Vice Marshal Pothureddi Subhash Babu (17908) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in Accounts branch on 14 Jun 1985. Over a period of three decades of service, He had worked in various IAF establishments viz flying, missile, signals, training, ED, AFCAO, AFGIS, Command HO, Air HO and also in inter service organizations and held important assignments. He is a graduate of DSSC, CDM and also alumnus of Administrative Staff College of India. As AOC, AFCAO, he was instrumental in dispensing the hard copies of pay slips which is in line with the directions of Hon'ble PM on digitiztion. He ensured that rank pay arrears (Major Dhanapalan) are paid within forty-five days of issue of Govt orders with perfection. With his dynamic approach to the long pending proposal, he ensured migration of 13,000 erstwhile Gp 'D' civilians from unit accounts to IRLA system at AFCAO. This has enhanced the morale of IAF civilians. During his tenure as PO, Fin P at Dte of Fin P from Apr 2013 to Jun 14, he contributed immensely to the Air Force with his is analytical and articulated rational inputs he has not only ensured exemption from MoD(F) the inevitable 10% cut (Rs. 1,890 Cr) in the Revenue Budget for Fy 2013-14 but also succeeded in additional allocation of Rs. 525 Cr. His immense contribution during the negotiations with the Russian vendor on SU-30 Capital contract has resulted in huge savings to the exchequer. During his tenure as Secretary, AFGIS, despite turbulent national and international financial markets, he had contributed through his innovative financial techniques and analytical inclination in increasing the yield of AFGIS substantially. Also, due to his untiring efforts, he was instrumental in recovery of more than Rs. 25 Cr from defaulting companies. Generation of additional Rs. 30 Cr income from the same quantum of corpus bears testimony to his financial acumen. These measures facilitated in enhancing the benefits under various welfare schemes of the AFGIS. AVM PS Babu with his sound professional knowledge and financial acumen is responsible for effective financial management in areas he had worked. The officer has been continuously pursuing excellence in all the activities undertaken by him. He inspires and motivates his colleagues and subordinates by personal example through his hard work and unflinching loyalty to the service and had set very high standards. For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Vice Marshal Pothureddi Subhash Babu. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Arvind Menon 17034 ADM | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Arvind Menon (17034) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an air traffic controller in administrative branch on 29 Dec 1982. In a career spanning over thirty three years, the officer has served in a wide array of appointments encompassing operational, administrative, staff and instructional assignments. He was closely associated with IPKF operations as a controller during 'Op Pawan', for which he was commended by the Chief of Air Staff in 1988. He served as C Adm 0 at Command Hospital, AF Bangalore, where he played a pivotal role in the upgrade of Admin and Medical infrastructure, leading to the Hospital being adjudged the best Armed Forces Hospital on three consecutive occasions. He served as the C Adm 0 of a premier fighter base in the Western sector, where he was closely involved in infrastructure upgrade planning for induction of newly acquired fighter ac. As JDPO-3 at Air HQ, he demonstrated his flair for HR management through significant contributions in the formulation of policies pertaining to terms and conditions and management of SSC cadre. The officer has also served a three year instructional assignment in the College of Defence Management. As Principal Director Organisation (Administration) at Air HQ, the officer was successful in putting together an effective team in Dte of Org for pursuing several administrative initiatives for Govt approval. Scaling of winter clothing for cooks, enhanced rations, protective clothing for safaiwalas, chef coat for instructional staff at NTTI, Belgaum and meals ready-to-eat for Garud Special Forces are some of the initiatives that have reached fruition. He provided added impetus to the efforts of units for procurement of modern kitchen equipment by leveraging his effective liaison with the Pr IFA(AF) and the Addl CGDA to expedite long pending cases. As a step towards greater fire safety awareness in units, he guided the Org team effort towards the issue of a comprehensive lAP on Domestic Fire Services. He was also an integral part of the team that worked towards the creation of a software module for pan-Air Force linkage of Adm Control Centres in support of operations. As CPSO, HQ WAC, resolution of manpower issues, expeditious processing of outsourcing proposals, pro-active steps towards improvement in messing facilities, development of sports infrastructure and streamlining of security related procurements by units have been his focus areas, which have yielded positive results. For his distinguished service of high order, professionalism, unmatched zeal and constant pursuit of excellence, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Arvind Menon (Retired). | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Alok Singh 17622 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Alok Singh was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch on 20 August 1984.The officer is a graduate Mechanical Engineer with PG in Materials Science from liT Mumbai. He is an aluminous of National Defence College and has undergone Higher Defence Management Course as well as Defence Services Staff Course. He is trained and vastly experienced on Jaguar aircraft. The Air Officer has held appointments of Chief Engineering Officer (CEO) of a fighter base, Commandant of Air Force Technical College (AFTC) and has served at Air HQ as Director, Engineering Jaguar and Principal Director, Armament & Safety Equipment. As CEO, he ensured high operational availability of two Jaguar Sqns and one Helicopter unit. The officer also commanded the Parade for award of President's Standards to two flying units. As Commandant of AFTC, he groomed and motivated hundreds of young officers being indoctrinated into IAF, and improved the curriculum by providing it a contemporary Technological Edge. During staff appointments at Air HQ, he ensured timely provisioning of Aircraft and Armament spares, by enhanced liaison with HAL Divisions and Ordnance Factories. He was instrumental in signing of critical contracts for "Common Standard of Preparation for Jaguar" and "In-flight Refueling Probe on Jaguar Twin-Seater Aircraft". In his present appointment as Command Engineering Officer at HQ Western Air Command, the officer has been involved in numerous Operational Exercises, and has ensured high availability of combat aircraft throughout. He has displayed competence in analysis of complex snags on aircraft, and has been pro-active in ensuring high standards of maintenance safety. Study on Jaguar Aircraft Systems' Reliability was undertaken and evolution of measures to enhance Op Capability was done by the officer. He ensures efficiency and cost effectiveness in all activities related to aircraft maintenance. All efforts have endeavoured to improve the overall aircraft serviceability in WAC AOA. For distinguished service of a high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Alok Singh. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Shrirang Chaoji 17673 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Shrirang Chaoji (17673) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an Engineer in Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch on 10 Sep 84. During his 31 years of distinguished service, he has held various Staff and Field appointments like Chief Engineering Officer of a fighter base, Director Air Staff Inspection at Air HQ, Command Engineering 'A' at HQ Maintenance Command, Senior Engineer (Aircraft) of a fighter base, Officer-in-charge Drafting Tech 1&11 at Air Force Record Office and Command Engineering Officer at Central Air Command. The Air Officer has varied experience of Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft. He was instrumental in setting up of Jaguar TETIRA School and developing various training models/aids. At Air Force Record Office, he contributed towards creation of database for computerization of posting. As CEO of a Jaguar base, he initiated indigenization of weapon loading trolley, carried out life cycle study of various structural components of Jaguar aircraft. During his tenure, the Wing was declared "Best in Maintenance" in CAC. He used his vast field experience to inspect units all over Air Force and conducted various audits on Jaguar, Mirage and Weapon audit during his two tenures in DASI. In his present tenure as C Eng 0, CAC, he worked systematically to improve the serviceability and maintenance standards of all aircraft and equipment. During "Op Rahat", prompt and effective maintenance was ensured for helicopter operations from one of the bases of CAC. Continuous maintenance support for "Op Triveni" is testimony to the officer's planning and execution. The Air Officer worked ceaselessly to ensure healthy Aviation and flight safety environment and conducted two technical supervisor workshops towards this. During his tenure, in last eighteen months 16 AOG built up were carried out, including recovery of long pending AOG of Jaguar Trainer, Su 30, AN-32, Mi-17 and Flight Refueling Aircraft (FRA) despite acute spares constraints. Armament awareness within units of CAC was given impetus by conducting "Armament awareness Month" in Jun 15. Live Bomb demolition exercise training was undertaken at Singpur range for the first time in CAC. For his extraordinary contribution to the Indian Air Force, professional competence, devotion to duty and distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Shrirang Chaoji. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Vinod Kumar Singh Yadav 17734 ADM | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Vinod Kumar Singh Yadav (17734) was commissioned in the Indian Air force as Fighter Controller in the Administrative Branch on 21 Dec 84. He has held a number of important appointments including Commanding Officer of a Transportable Radar Unit, Directing Staff at Tactics and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Senior Training Officer Air Defence College, Chief Administrative Officer of an important transport base, Director Control & Reporting (C&R) at the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (ASI), Command Air Defence Officer (C&R) and currently holding the appointment of Command Personnel Staff Officer (CPSO) at HQ SWAC since 01 Ju12015. During his service career he has been involved in preparing guidelines for camouflaging mobile AD Units, development of guidelines for inspection of IACCS Tactical Nodes and consolidation of C&R Op and maint aspects. The Officer was involved in the induction of Indra-IJ radars and also formed a part of the Core Advisory Group for project Drishti in Sri Lanka LTIE Operations. He has been commended by CAS and AOC-in-C. He is a Cat 'Aye' Master Fighter Controller. During his tenure as CPSO, he streamlined the functioning of HR, discipline and Provost Sections at HQ SWAC. He has been a constant source of guidance for the field units in these functions. In addition to the duties of CPSO, he was also given the additional responsibility of overseeing the infrastructure development work at Command Building at Vayu Shakti Nagar where a new campus for HQ SWAC is being developed. He ensured desired augmentation of manpower during the President Standards Presentation at a base under this command in 2016. Also, his overall understanding, involvement and direct supervision led to hassle free augmentation, security coordination, interaction with SPG and viable accommodation plan for implementation at site during Iron Fist 2016. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Vinod Kumar Singh Yadav. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Pradeep Kumar Choudhary 17828 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Pradeep Kumar Choudhary (17828) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch on 25 Feb 85. In 31 years of distinguished service, he has held several important appointments that include Senior Engineer (Aircraft) of a premier fighter base, Group Director (Maint) with LCA PMT at Aeronautical Development Agency, Commanding Officer of 4 BRD, Staff appointment with DASI, D Eng BT and PD Eng J&M at Air HO and AOC Air Force Station Kanpur. Air Cmde PK Choudhary is a hardcore professional with a penchant to pursue challenging projects. During his career, he has been commended on two occasions by AOC-in-C and once by CAS. While working as SE (AC) at 40 Wg, he achieved and sustained highest serviceability for Mirage fleet. He also demonstrated his engineering prowess, wherein a belly landed Mirage aircraft was successfully recovered from a foreign base. As Commanding Officer of 4 BRD, exhibiting true engineering ability he could double the Viper aero-engine production thereby successfully offsetting the peak demand on Kiran aircraft. As D Eng BT at Air HO with careful planning and foresightedness he inducted the Pilatus aircraft smoothly on time flawlessly. As PD J&M, he could successfully negotiate and execute the important Additional Agreement No.8 which gave a new lease of life to the Mirage fleet in terms of spares support for next 20 years. Under his stewardship as AOC of AF Stn, Kanpur the Depots achieved record production for year 2015-2016. Due to his effective leadership 1 BRD and 29 ED were selected as the best Aircraft Depot and Equipment Depot respectively for the year 2015-16. He has played a pivotal role in enhancing the security of the base by round the clock monitoring of the base activities through IP based CCTV network. For his distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Pradeep Kumar Choudhary (Retired). | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Akhilesh Kumar Verma 18063 AE(M) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Akhilesh Kumar Verma (18063) AE(M) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch on 09 Sep 1985. He is presently posted at Air HQ (RKP) as Principal Director Maintenance Inspection (PDMI) wef 01 Ju115. He is qualified on MiG 21 variants and has held appointments which include Joint Director in Weapon Cell and DASI at Air HQ as well as STO of a MiG 21 squadron and CEO of a front line fighter base. He has commanded Mechanical Training Institute (MTI) at Tambaram. He is an M Tech from liT Mumbai and has undergone staff courses at Defence Services Staff College & College of Air Warfare. The officer is an exceptional professional. As the Tech Fit Cdr, he spearheaded the recovery of MiG 21 with a broken nose oleo from the runway at night. As CEO, he was instrumental in the inhouse repair of a damaged Heron RPA wing & tail plane. At MTI, he introduced modern teaching techniques and training aids. At HQ CAC, as Command Engineering Coordinator, he executed the yearly aircraft stagger plan and ensured that the s-Maintenance Management System pilot project at 40 Wg rolled out on schedule. As Command Tettra Officer at HQ TC, he standardized TETTRA web pages and on-line evaluation models. His efforts led to allocation of a Su·30 and ALH to TETTRAs imparting realistic practical training. Long pending cases for initial Policy Page for HAWK and RPA TETTRAs were cleared. As PDMI, the officer has standardized qualitative and quantitative aspects of evaluation across BRDs, EDs Communication Units, TTls and TETTRAs. He ensured that Quality Audits of various fleets are objective oriented towards realization of IAFs operational goals. Important aspects regarding Maintenance Officers Categorisation Board such as AFO revision, standardization of ab-lnito training of AE officers at AFA and AFTC as well as relocation were expeditiously resolved. For distinguished service of a high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Akhilesh Kumar Verma. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Seethepalli Shrinivas 18787 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Seethepalli Shrinivas (18787) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in the Flying Branch on 13 Jun 87. He is a 'Category A' Flying Instructor with over 4000 hours of flying on Mig-21 , Kiran, HPT- 32, Iskra, PC-7 Mk II and Chetak. He is an alumnus of CDM and DSSC. He was commended for his professionalism by the AOC-in-C. During his service, he has commanded Institute of Flight Safety, Flying Instructors School and Basic Flying Training School. He has been Directing Staff at CAW and Ops Staff at HQ CAC. In 2010, he led a team for the technical and field evaluation of a new basic trainer aircraft. The task, which had marked urgency due to the grounding of the HPT-32 and the resultant void in the training resources, was efficiently completed within a record seven months period and the PC-7 MK 11 was inducted into the IAF in Feb 13. Since he took over as Chief Instructor (Flying), AFA has flown over 25000 hours of accident free flying towards the training of ab-initio pilots. Apart from the conduct of Stage-I flying training, AFA was also tasked to conduct training for Stage-I I (Fighter) as a pilot project. Since the aircraft itself was new, all exercises applicable to fighter training had to be flown and evaluated and comprehensive procedures developed, apart from the designing of an optimum flying training syllabus. He conducted all trials and designed the syllabus and ensured that the same was approved in time. He personally supervised all aspects of conduct of Stage-II (Fighter) training, the first course to which was commissioned in Dec 15. He also planned the Low Level Aerobatic display profile on the PC-7 MK II trained pilots for the same. The display is now an integral part of major events like Aero India, CGP and AF Day parades and has won wide acclamation. In 2015, on the decision to induct women into the fighter stream, he personally acquainted all concerned women trainees with the intricacies involved and the rigours of fighter flying. Being a first ever option for women, he counseled them thoroughly about the requirements and helped them to not only recognise their potential but also take a matured decision. He ensured proper evaluation of women trainees, the first three of whom were trifurcated into the fighter stream in Dec 15. At all stages of his career, he has put the interests of service ahead of nay personal considerations and performed in an exemplary manner. He has always led by example and set standards that his subordinates strive to emulate. For distinguished service of a high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Seethepalli Shrinivas. 1 I ~ I | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Vishwajit Vasudev Dedgaonkar 18813 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Vishwajit Vasudev Dedgaonkar, VM {18813} was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a pilot in the flying branch on 13 Jun 87. He has commanded a frontline Fighter Squadron (Sqn) and has been the Chief Operations Officer of a fighter base. The Air Officer is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner. He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College, and has also undergone Army Higher Command Course. The officer was conferred with the Vayu Sena Medal in Jan 07. He is currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding of an Air Force Station. The Air Officer utilised his vast operational experience in not only providing crucial operational guidance to the two fighter Sqns which had recently been moved into the Base, but also resuscitated the operational environment for seamless fighter operations after an interval of two years. He also oversaw the induction of the first Missile System Sqn in the EAC AOR at this Base. The base assumes greater strategic significance in view of the evolving threat perception and is slated for the induction of a number of advanced weapon systems. The Air Officer took stock of the existing resources at Base and suggested effective methodology towards incorporating these foreseeable inductions into the Master Zonal Plan, necessitating minimal construction of new infrastructure, whilst reviving disused operational surfaces and infrastructure. The base was tasked to conduct the President's Standards Presentation {PSP} for two fighter Sqns in Nov 15. Despite the commitments relating to PSP, the base achieved all objectives of 'Exercise Livewire' held during the same month. The conduct of PSP at Base posed multiple challenges of remoteness of location, inadequacy of infrastructure to accommodate five hundred additional personnel for almost two months, and protracted monsoon with very heavy rainfall. The Base also required gearing up to host the Honourable President of India and close to 150 senior serving and retired dignitaries for the event, within a limited period of less than a year available. Undeterred by the challenges, the officer went about the job with immaculate planning and inspirational leadership, to have the infrastructure readied without any compromise in quality, gave befitting facelift to the Base and suitably prepared all the venues for execution of the event. He displayed exemplary co-ordination in garnering support from the Army and local civilian administration, besides judiciously deploying the station resources; to transform a wildly vegetated Base and its surroundings into a picturesque one within the short time. While leading from the front, he kept his team motivated at all times and ensured flawless execution of the event. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Vishwajit Vasudev Dedgaonkar, VM. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
| Vishist Seva Medal | |||||
| Air Cmde | Debashish Vedajna 19539 F(P) | Unit : -N.A.- | Award Date 26 Jan 17 | Announced 26 Jan 17 | |
| Details : |  Air Commodore Debashish Vedajna (19539) was commissioned in the Indian Air force as a pilot in flying branch on 11 Jun 1988. During his career he has flown about 2700 hours on MIG-21, Jaguar and Hunter aircraft. The officer has held many important operational assignments including Chief Operation Officer of a premier Jaguar Base, Command Intelligence Officer of an Operational Command and Commanding Officer of the first Pechora Squadron of the IAF. He has served as the Team Leader (IAF) of Indian MRSAM Project Team (IMPT) in Israel for joint design and development of the MRSAM system and before assuming his present appointment was on deputation to DRDO for monitoring a strategic project. He took over command of an Air Force Station in Sep 2015. During his earlier tenure the officer was especially selected to head the MRSAM project at Israel in which he gave extremely valuable inputs to enhance the operational utilization of the system including redesigning of the display maps and key algorithms. With his professional approach and analytical mind he helped not only in giving correct direction to the entire project but helped in resolving the issues between Air HQ, DRDO and Israeli Aerospace Industries. Air Cmde Vedajna assumed the command of the Air Force Station with major responsibility to conduct IAF level Iron Fist 2016. The officer immediately took charge of the situation and got involved with understanding the requirement of the mega event. With his foresight and meticulous planning he led the preparations for Iron Fist 2016 with full gusto and with a keen eye for detail ensured that even small situations were anticipated well in time and corrective actions taken towards a flaw less conduct of Iron Fist 2016. The officer with his guidance and leadership qualities motivated the team, and set a new benchmark for conduct of such a large event. It is because of his involvement and foresight that Iron Fist 2016 was conducted in a befitting manner and was appreciated at all levels. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Debashish Vedajna. | ||||
| Reference: | Air Force Day Booklet | ||||
The Awards Database presented here was made possible by the kind generosity of Air Marshal Bharat Kumar, author of Courage & Devotion to Duty : A Chronicle of IAF's Honours and Awards (1932-2008). Air Marshal Bharat Kumar had very graciously given permission to reproduce the citations from the book on this website.
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Note: All the data available here is publicly available in the Gazette of India, published by the Indian Government, or from public domain sources, press releases about Awards and Right-To-Information (RTI) Requests. Additionally data shared by veterans is added to the page with permission. No data with respect to serving officers below the rank of AVM is displayed. Information in Gazette of India and Award citations and photographs as released by the Indian Air Force are the only details displayed.