Hyderabad: Air Vice Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik assumed command of the College of Air Warfare (CAW), Secunderabad on Tuesday. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Air Officer was commissioned in Indian Air Force on 08 June 1984, as a fighter pilot.
He is a Fighter Combat Leader with more than 2500 hours of accident free fighter flying on a variety of aircraft, and has more than 800 hours as Mission Commander. An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and a graduate of the Higher Air Command Course, the Air Officer has commanded Air Force Station Ambala. He has also held Command of Remotely Pilot Aircraft (RPA) Squadron, an Air Defence Station and has been the Commandant of the Electronic Warfare Range.
The officer has held various important staff appointments at Air Headquarters, Operational Commands as well as at Headquarters Strategic Forces Command. Before assuming his present appointment as Commandant CAW, he was overseeing all Air Defence operations of the IAF, at Air HQ as Assistant Chief of Air Staff. The Air officer has flown many live bombing missions during the Kargil operations, for which he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) in 1999.