Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia assumed the office of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday.
Air Marshal Walia succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on January 31, after 39 years of service.
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An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Walia was commissioned in the Fighter stream of the IAF in 1988. He has undergone the Advance Command & Staff Course in the UK and the National Defence College in Bangladesh.
The Air Officer is qualified on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30 MKI, and has over 3,200 hours of accident/incident-free flying.
In a career spanning over three decades, the Air Officer commanded a MiG-27 Squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and was Air Officer Commanding of a frontline base.
Air Marshal Walia is a Fighter Strike Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner (IRIE).
He has served as the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Japan and South Korea. Air Marshal Walia tenanted the appointment of Air Commodore, Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air HQ and Air Defence Commander, HQ WAC.
Prior to taking over as AOC-in-C, EAC, he was Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ EAC.
