Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, the current Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force, will take over the helm from Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa who retires on September 30. Affectionately known as ‘Chottu’ within IAF circles Bhadauria was the chairman of the Indian negotiating team for the 59,000 crore rupee Rafale jets deal with France.
“Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1980, and has held various command, staff and instructional appointments at various levels,” a defense ministry statement said. Bhadauria who was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream on June 15, 1980, with a ‘Sword of Honour’, has clocked over 4,250 flying hours on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft. He is also closely connected to Indias first indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) as he was a Chief Test Pilot and Project Director of the National Flight Test Centre as he was a Chief Test Pilot and Project Director of the National Flight Test Centre. He was involved in the initial prototype flight tests on the Tejas.
Bhadauria headed two IAF commands- Southern in Thiruvananthapuram and Training in Bangalore.
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