New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran took charge of Delhi-based western air command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday, according to an official statement.

Prabhakaran was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot on December 22, 1983.

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He is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College in Wellington and National Defence College in New Delhi, the IAF's statement mentioned.

"An experienced MiG-21 pilot and a category 'A' qualified flying instructor, Air Marshal Prabhakaran has nearly 5,000 hours of flying experience," it noted.

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Prabhakaran was the commandant of the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, before taking over the present appointment.

He succeeds Air Marshal Amit Dev who superannuated on Monday after more than 39 years of distinguished service in the IAF, the statement noted.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)