Hyderabad: Air Marshal S Shirinivas took over as Commandant of the Air Force Academy from Marshal B Chandra Sekhar in Dundigal on Friday.
The Air Marshal is a science graduate from the National Defence Academy (NDA), who was commissioned into the Indian Air Force’s fighter branch in June 1987. He is a ‘Category A’ Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4200 hours of flying experience on MiG-21, Iskra, Kiran, PC-7, HPT-32, Microlite, and other aircraft.
He is also certified to fly as a second pilot on a Chetak or Cheetah helicopter and as a SAM-III (Pechora) Operations Officer.
In his career, he has held a number of command appointments including a frontline fighter base, a premier flying training base, the prestigious Flying Instructors School, the Institute of Flight Safety, and the Basic Flying Training School.
He is an alumnus of the National Defense College, the College of Defense Management, and the Defense Services Staff College.
He also has a Master of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies, a Master of Management Studies, and a Master of Defence and Strategic Studies among his credentials.