Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari assumes the charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff

As the newly appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari assumed leadership on Friday.

He replaced Air Marshal S P Dharkar, who retired on April 30. 

Air Marshal Tiwari was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command in Gandhinagar before he took the charge. 

The central government has been taking a number of major steps to strengthen the defense sector after the Pahalgam attacks that took place on 22nd April which now also includes the appointment of Air Marshal N. Tiwari as Vice Chief of Air Staff.

The air marshal has also received a guard of honor at the Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhawan.

In June 1986, he received his commission in the fighter stream. He graduated with the President's Gold Medal from the National Defence Academy.

According to a previous statement from the defense ministry, Air Marshal Tiwari is a certified flight teacher and experimental test pilot who has flown a variety of aircraft.

As the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, a veteran fighter pilot with over 3,600 hours of flight service, assumed command on Friday.

 The IAF posted “Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari PVSM AVSM VM took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, IAF on 02 May 25. An alumnus of RIMC, NDA and US Air Command & Staff College, he is a distinguished fighter pilot, test pilot and former AOC-in-C of SWAC, with over 3600 hrs of flying experience," on social media platform X.

In addition to operational testing of numerous weapons and systems, mostly on the Mirage-2000, the air marshal has extensive field experience.

 During the Kargil battle in 1999, he was a part of a number of major missions and operationalised the ‘Lieting’ Laser Designation pod.

He also taught at the IAF Test Pilots' School and Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.

He has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2008, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025.

By: Aadrika Tayal