FEATURED
BIO
Air Marshal Varthaman (retd) is a Distinguished Fellow at The Peninsula Foundation. He is a former AOC-in-C of Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force. He completed his Masters in Military Science from the University of Madras. He is also an alumnus of the Sainik School at Amaravathinagar in Tamil Nadu and trained at the National Defence Academy. He later joined the IAF as a fighter pilot in 1973.
He is among the few select pilots who hold the distinction of having flown 40 types of aircraft with over 4,000 flying hours to his credit. He is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor.
Among his appointments in this specialisation include Chief Test Pilot of the elite Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment (ASTE) of IAF in Bangalore, and chief flying instructor at fighter training wing in Andhra Pradesh. He was the COO (Chief Operations Officer) of the Mirage Base, Gwalior, during the 1999 Kargil War, and commanded an operational air base during OP Parakram in 2001.
As air attache in Paris and the Benelux countries, he made an indelible mark on international defence co-operation with European air forces. He continued to strengthen ties with air forces of the world on his return to Delhi when appointed as the assistant chief of air staff (intelligence). As Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans) he played a significant role in the acquisition process in the IAF. As SASO, he was the operations head of Central Air Command before taking over as the C-in-C of Eastern Air Command.
He is the recipient of the presidential awards: Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Athi Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Vayu Sena Medal (VM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).