Pradeep Vasant Naik

Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal

Other workHonorary Aides-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India

Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, PVSM, VSM served as the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. He took office on 31 May 2009 following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and was succeeded in office by Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne.^[1]

Career

Naik was born on 22 July 1949 at Nagpur, Maharashtra and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 21 June 1969 as a fighter pilot. He is an alumnus of Sainik School, Satara and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla in Maharashtra. During his 42 years of service, he has served in a variety of command staff and instructional appointments.

Naik has over 3,000 hrs of flying on his log. He also took part in air actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the Eastern and Western sectors. Before taking over as Chief of Air Staff, he was the Vice Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. Naik has also served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Allahabad-based, Central Air Command.

Besides being a fellow of the National Defence College, New Delhi, Naik is a Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader. He has served as Directing staff at DSSC Wellington, India and at Tactics & Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE).

Advisor

Currently, he is a member of the Board of Advisors of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).^[2]

Personal life

Naik and his wife Madhubala have two sons; the elder was a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force and later transferred to the transport stream, and the younger, a Chief Officer in the Merchant Navy.

Awards

	Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Vishisht Seva Medal
Samanya Seva Medal	Poorvi Star Medal	Paschimi Star Medal	Special Service Medal
Sangram Medal	Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	50th Anniversary Independence Medal
25th Anniversary Independence Medal	30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal

References

^ Darpan, Pratiyogita (October 2009). "Pradeep Vasant Naik". Pratiyogita Darpan. pp. 169–. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
^ "I.I.M.U.N. || Board of Advisors". new.iimun.in. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

External links

Media related to Pradeep Vasant Naik at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Fali Homi Major	Chief of the Air Staff (India) 31 May 2009 – 31 July 2011	Succeeded by Norman Anil Kumar Browne
Preceded by Deepak Kapoor	Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee 30 March 2010 – 30 July 2011	Succeeded by Nirmal Kumar Verma

Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
(1947–2019)

Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
(2020–2021)

Bipin Rawat

Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
(2021–2022)

M. M. Naravane (acting)

Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee
(2022–)

Anil Chauhan

(**Seconded from the British Armed Forces)

v t e Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force
Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force (1947–1948)	Sir Thomas Elmhirst**
Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force (1948–1950)	Sir Thomas Elmhirst**
Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force (1950–1955)	Sir Thomas Elmhirst Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman Gerald Gibbs** Subroto Mukerjee
Chief of the Air Staff (1955–present)	Subroto Mukerjee Aspy Engineer Arjan Singh Pratap Chandra Lal Om Prakash Mehra Hrushikesh Moolgavkar Idris Hasan Latif Dilbagh Singh Lakshman Madhav Katre Denis La Fontaine Surinder Mehra Nirmal Chandra Suri Swaroop Kaul Satish Kumar Sareen Anil Tipnis Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy Shashindra Pal Tyagi Fali Homi Major Pradeep Vasant Naik Norman Anil Kumar Browne Arup Raha Birender Singh Dhanoa Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Vivek Ram Chaudhari (incumbent)
(**Seconded from the Royal Air Force)