On the occasion of the 90th Indian Air Force Day on October 8, 2022, Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari announced the creation of a new operational branch of weapon system for officers to handle all types of latest weapon systems in the force. “On this historic occasion, it’s my privilege to announce that the government has approved the creation of a weapon system branch for the officers in the Indian Air Force”, informed the Air Chief Marshal while participating in the ceremonial parade on the 90th-anniversary celebration of the Indian Air Force in Chandigarh. This is the first time since the independence that a new operational branch has been created.
“Creation of this branch would result in savings of over Rs 3,400 crore due to reduced expenditure on flying training,” he added. He further said:
This will essentially be for manning of four specialised streams of Surface to Surface missiles, Surface to Air Missiles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Weapon System Operators in twin and multi-crew aircraft.
Air Chief Marshal while speaking on the integrated and joint application of combat power said:
The key to success in multi-domain operations is to have flexible, robust and redundant command and control structures which will allow a joint force to dominate across domains.
No single service can win a war on its own. Work is in progress to enhance jointness amongst the three services.
The theme for this year’s Air Force Day celebration is “IAF: Transforming for the Future”. Speaking on this, the Air Chief Marshal said:
In keeping up with these challenges, the new operational branch is significant. The challenge I pose to you all today is to transform into forward-thinking and forward-looking air warriors, who can support our process of adapting to a constantly changing environment. I call upon every air warrior to be a part of the solution with your creativity, innovative thinking and drive to lead the change.
Further, the Air Chief Marshal while speaking on the Agnipath scheme of inducting young personnel in the armed forces said:
We have changed our operational training methodology to ensure each Agniveer is equipped with the right skills and knowledge to start their career in the Air Force.
“By December, 3,000 Agniveer will get their initial training. This number will only go up in the years to come to ensure adequate staffing. We are also planning on the induction of women Agniveers starting next year. Creation of infrastructure is in progress and streamlining of trade structure is being finalised”, he added.
