Air Commodore Ajay Singh Pathania on Wednesday took over the command of Air Force station Jammu as the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) from Air Commodore SK Mishra.
Air Commodore Pathania was commissioned in the IAF in 1986. An experienced flying instructor and a graduate of Defence Service Staff College, the Air Officer possesses a flying experience of about 6,000 hours on helicopter and trainer aircraft in India and abroad.
According to an official statement, he has been the Flight Commander of three types of helicopters and commanded two types of helicopter units including Chetak and Cheetah in Eastern Sector of India and MI-25 in UN Mission DRC Congo.
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He has also been the Chief Operational Officer of a premier Air Force Base and commanded a TAC in Eastern Sector. The Air Officer has also served as Personal and Operational staff at Air Head Quarters. He was directly involved in major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Helicopter Operations from 2012 to 2015 in Jammu Kashmir, Uttrakhand, and other places.
He was instrumental during Rescue and Relief operations after Nepal earthquake as well as Yemen Evacuation in April 2015. He has also been Air Officer Commanding and President of Air Force Selection Board at Kolkata and Dehradun before taking over as AOC of Air Force Station Jammu.
Air Commodore Pathania was awarded Chief of the Air Staff commendation in 1995, AOC-in-C HQ Training Command commendation in 1997 and Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2015, said the statement.
(ANI)