Home India News Air Marshal Naik is Indian Air Force vice chief

Air Marshal Naik is Indian Air Force vice chief

By IANS

New Delhi : Air Marshal P.V. Naik Tuesday assumed office as the vice chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale who has retired.

Simultaneously, Air Marshal P.K. Barbora Monday took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the premier Western Air Command from Air Marshal P.S. Ahluwalia, who too retired.

Naik, who is likely to become the IAF chief when the incumbent Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major retires in March 2009, was born July 22, 1949 at Nagpur. He is a graduate of the Sainik School Satara, the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College.

Commissioned in the fighter stream June 21, 1969, Naik, during his distinguished career of 38 years in the IAF, has flown all MiG-21 variants and MiG-23-BNs. He is a qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader.

He has held many important command and staff appointments. These include the command of a MiG-21 Bis Squadron at Pathankot, chief operations officer at Bareilly, and as one of the directing staff at the Tactics and Combat Development Establishment (TACDE).

Among his other appointments have been air defence commander of the South Western Air Command and director general of the Air Force Naval Housing Board. He has commanded IAF bases in Srinagar and Bidar.

Naik has functioned as senior air staff officer (SASO) at the Western Air Command and as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command prior to taking over his present appointment.

Naik was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for distinguished service Jan 26, 2003 and appointed honorary ADC to the Indian president July 25, 2007.

Air Marshal P.K. Barbora was born in December 1950 in Shillong and commissioned as a fighter pilot in June 1970. He is a very experienced flier and has flown over 3,500 hours. He also took part in the 1971 war with Pakistan.

A qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader, Barbora has also served in TACDE and the Air Combat Development Establishment (ACDE). He has served two tenures in the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection at Air Headquarters. He is a graduate of the College of Combat, Mhow.

During his service career, Barbora has had the distinction of being part of the team that formed first squadron of Jaguar fighters and also inducting the air combat simulator, the first of its kind in Asia, into the IAF.

He has held many operational assignments like commanding officer of a MiG-21 Squadron and of the Air Combat Simulator Unit, chief operations officer of a fighter wing, and as air officer commanding of a premier fighter station.

Barbora has served as air attaché at the Indian embassy in Moscow, as assistant chief of integrated defence staff (Perspective Plans and Force Structure), and as assistant chief of air staff (Inspection) at Air Headquarters.