Air Marshal Tarun Chaudhry assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command on Monday, 1 June 2026.
He succeeds Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan, who superannuated on 31 May 2026 after 40 years of service.
Chaudhry was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1989. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, College of Air Warfare and National Defence College.
Read also : Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist Admiral Krishna Swaminathan takes charge as 27th Navy Chief
During his career, he has held several operational, staff and diplomatic appointments. He served as Defence Attache at the Embassy of India in Sweden, with concurrent accreditation to Norway, Finland and Denmark.
He has also held key staff assignments at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and Air Headquarters, with work in projects, acquisition and human resource management.
The Ministry of Defence said Chaudhry has spearheaded several projects aimed at capability enhancement and induction of future technologies in the Indian Air Force.
Before taking charge of Central Air Command, he was serving as Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Southern Air Command.
