India sacks Air Marshal after heavy losses by PAF

Reacting strong on the major losses to the Indian air force (IAF) by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in recent air engagement, India on Friday sacked Air Marshal C Hari Kumar from the post of Western Air Command’s Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief.

India has lost at least 8 war planes in the past one month, two of them were shot down by the PAF in a recent engagement and a pilot Abhinandan was also taken into the custody.

According to the Indian media reports, Eastern Air Command Chief Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar has been appointed as the new chief of Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command (WAC).

Harikumar was posted as WAC chief in January 2017.

The WAC is headquartered in the national capital and controls the area from north of Bikaner in Rajasthan up to Siachen Glacier and controls almost 40 per cent of the air bases of the Indian Air Force.

On February 27, former Indian air force (IAF)’s official Ram Parkash had confirmed that India had lost two MiG 21 jets and three of its pilots.

“We have lost our two jets and three pilots,” Parkash wrote in his tweet.

He further said in his tweet that the morale of the IAF is down and out after the heavy loss.