Top Air Force engineer tasked with maintaining high serviceability rate of flying fleets, air defence assets

Photo Credit : IAF,

Air Marshal Vibhas Pande has taken over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Maintenance Command headquartered at Nagpur. 

The commander of the Maintenance Command is the top aeronautical engineer of the IAF, a technology intensive force. The Maintenance Commander is tasked with ensuring a high serviceability rate for all flying and air defence assets. Ensuring a high percentage of assets is useable and securing a minimum down time for aircraft is an even bigger priority during military tensions, as in the ongoing military stand-off with China. 

Commissioned in the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) branch of the IAF in 1984, Air Marshal Pande trained on MiG-23 BN and AN-32 aircraft as well as MI-17 helicopters. As a Flight Engineer, he has flown Mi-8 & Mi-17 helicopters and has been an Air Force Examiner for rotary wing aircraft, according to an IAF announcement.

He is a post-graduate in Reliability Engineering from IIT Powai, Mumbai. He is also an alumnus of College of Air Warfare, Hyderabad and National Defence College, Delhi.

During a career spanning more than 37 years, Air Marshal Pande has held the appointments of Senior Production Engineer at Base Repair Depot at Ojhar, Nasik; Commanding Officer of Air Armament Inspection Wing, Directing Staff at College of Air Warfare and Command Engineering Officer at Headquarters Western Air Command. 

He was the first Commanding Officer of Central Indigenisation and Manufacturing Depot (CIMD) Nasik and also commanded Base Repair Depot, Ojhar (Nasik). He has tenanted the appointments of Senior Maintenance Staff Officer at Headquarters Eastern Air Command; Assistant Chief of Air Staff (ACAS) Engineering (Transport and Helicopters) and Director General (Aircraft) at Air Headquarters. Prior to assuming his present appointment, he was Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance (AOM) at Air Headquarters.

He is a receipient of the Aiti Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vishist Seva Medal (VSM)

Air Marshal Pande succeeds Air Marshal Shashiker Choudhary, who retired May 31 after 38 years of distinguished service in IAF.