New Delhi, May 01 (Hindustan Times). Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chowdhary has left for a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka from Monday. During this, he will also interact with the students and officers of the National Defense College of Sri Lanka and visit the Sri Lankan Air Force Academy.
During the visit, the Air Chief Marshal is scheduled to call on the Sri Lankan President, Prime Minister, Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Defense Staff, Commanders of Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lankan Army, Navy and the Defense Secretary. His visit is taking place at the invitation of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal SK Pathirana. The visit by the Chief of the Indian Air Force will enhance the existing professional relations and bonds of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
The objective of his official visit is to facilitate discussions on development of cooperation between regional air forces, joint training and exchange of technical knowledge. Expansion of maritime surveillance functions will also be one of the major topics of discussion.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhary, who joined the Indian Air Force in 1982 as a fighter pilot, has a vast flying experience of over 3,800 hours on various fighter jets including MiG-21, MiG-23MF, MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30 MKI Is. He is serving as the 27th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from September 30, 2021.
