Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff recently. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the IAF in June 1980. Prior to taking over as DCAS, Air Marshal Bhadauria was Senior Air Staff Officer at Central Air Command of IAF.

He is an Experimental Test Pilot, Cat ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor and Pilot Attack Instructor with over 4,200 hours of experience on over 25 types of fighter and transport aircraft. Air Marshal Bhadauria completed his Staff Course and Masters in Defence Studies from Command and Staff College, Bangladesh.

Spanning over 35 years of his career, Air Marshal Bhadauria has commanded a Jaguar Squadron and a premier Air Force base in the South Western Sector. His important assignments include Commanding Officer of Flight Test Squadron at Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment, Chief Test Pilot and Project Director of National Flight Test Centre on light combat aircraft (LCA) project, Air Attaché, Moscow and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects). He also commanded the prestigious National Defence Academy.

Air Marshal Bhadauria is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal conferred in 2013 and 2002 respectively.