Air Marshal BN Gokhale AVSM VM : the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff
	13:21 IST

Air Marshal Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff at Air Headquarters this morning. He succeeds Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani who retired after 40 years of distinguished service in the Indian Air Force. Air Marshal BN Gokhale was commission into the Indian Air Force in Jun 1968 in fighter stream. He has flown over 3500 hours on a variety of combat and trainer aircraft. The Air Marshal has seen active operations during the 1971 Indo-Pak hostilities. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader from the prestigious Tactics and Combat Development Establishment. Air Marshal Gokhale has held a variety of operational and staff appointments during his career. His operational assignments include command of a frontline fighter squadron, Chief Operations Officer of an operational base and command of a premier air base. The staff appointments include tenure as Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College and as an Inspector at the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection, Air Headquarters. The Air Marshal has had assignments abroad as Flying Instructor in Iraq and as Indian Defence Attaché, Cairo. He has functioned as Air Advisor to Chief of the Air Staff, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations) and Senior Air Staff Officer of Training Command. As Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Operations, the Air Marshal had played an important role in planning and execution of air operations, including “Op Parakram”. Prior to his present assignment Air Marshal Gokhale was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command. The Air Marshal is graduate of the Defence Service Staff College, an alumnus of the Air War College, USA and a Fellow of Aeronautical Society of India. He is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal. The other appointments today are Air Marshal GS Chaudhry AVSM, VSM has taken over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command and Air Marshal PV Naik VSM has taken over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command. MU/NK