Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar
Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, VM, ADC is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command from 1 January 2017 to 28 February 2019. He assumed the office from Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo and was succeeded by Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar | |
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Allegiance | India |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 14 December 1979 - 28 February 2019 |
Rank | Air Marshal |
Commands held | Western Air Command Eastern Air Command |
Awards | Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal Vayu Sena Medal |
Spouse(s) | Devika |
Early life and education
Kumar is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, Defence Service Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College, New Delhi.[5]
Career
Kumar was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 14 December 1979.[8] He has clocked over 3300 hours of flying and is a qualified flying instructor. He held several key operational and administrative appointments at various stages of his service including Fighter Combat Leader of a MiG-21 squadron; Commander of a front line fighter base; Ops-1A; Air-I at HQ WAC; Deputy Director Air Staff Inspection; Director Operations (Joint Planning); Assistant Chief of the Air Staff Operations (Offensive) at Air HQ; Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at HQ South Western Air Command; instructor at Fighter Training Wing (FTW), Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and College of Air Warfare (CAW). He was the AOC-in-C Eastern Air Command prior to his appointment as AOC-in-C Western Air Command.[5][8]
Kumar has been awarded several medals: the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (January 2018), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (January 2016), the Vishisht Seva Medal (January 2015), the Vayu Sena Medal (January 2011) and the CAS commendation (October 1997).[5][9]
Personal life
Kumar is married to Mrs. Devika and they have two sons. He enjoys travelling and reading.[5]
References
- @IAF_MCC (2019-03-01). "Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar, AOC-in-C, Western Air Command IAF retired on 28 Feb 2019 after an illustrious career spanning over 39 yrs. The Air Marshal was commissioned in the Flying Branch of Indian Air Force in the year 1979" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Air Marshal C Hari Kumar PVSM AVSM VM VSM ADC Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, WAC IAF Retires". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
- @IAF_MCC (2019-03-01). "Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, took over as the Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of Western Air Command (WAC) wef 01 Mar 19. Air Marshal C Hari Kumar handed over the command of WAC on his superannuation after 39 yrs of glorious service" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- @ANI (2019-03-01). "Western Air Command Chief Air Marshal C Hari Kumar retired yesterday on his due date of retirement after completing more than 39 years of service. Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar took over as his successor" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
- "Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar To Take Charge Of Western Air Command". Huffington Post India. Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
- "WESTERN AIR COMMAND". indianairforce.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
- "Hari Kumar new Eastern Air Command chief - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
- "Press Information Bureau". www.pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Shirish Baban Deo |
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command 1 January 2017 - 28 February 2019 |
Succeeded by Raghunath Nambiar |
Preceded by Shirish Baban Deo |
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command 1 September 2015 - 31 December 2016 |
Succeeded by Anil Khosla |