Dimapur, Oct. 2 (EMN): Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar has taken over charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command (EAC) of Indian Air Force on October 1, while Lieutenant General, Manoj Mukund Naravane, has taken over charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command on October 1.
Nambiar is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the IAF as fighter pilot in June 1981. He is an experimental test pilot and has flown 42 types of aircraft as pilot in command. He has the distinction of having the highest number of flying hours on the Mirage-2000 in the IAF with over 2300 flying hours on the aircraft to his credit and overall 5100 hours of flying experience.
A defence release stated that Nambiar is also a member of the society of experimental test pilots and was the project test pilot for the light combat aircraft “Tejas.” He has served in Shillong as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) earlier.
Before taking over as the AOC-in-C of EAC, he was the deputy chief of the air staff.
Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane, according to a defence release, is a highly decorated and accomplished professional. The General was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of Sikh Light Infantry in June 1980. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy.
The General has commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu & Kashmir and an Infantry Brigade on the Eastern front. He has also been the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) in Nagaland, commanded a prestigious strike corps of the Indian army and was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command before taking up his current assignment.
The General also served as an instructor at the Army War College, Mhow, and has been the Indian Defence Attache to Myanmar.
