Team News Riveting
Kochi, May 2
Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of Southern Air Command on Monday.
An alumnus of Sainik School Kazhakootam and National Defence Academy, the Air Marshal was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on 07 Jun 86. He has flown over 5400 hrs on various types of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. He is a Helicopter Combat Leader and a Type Qualified Flying Instructor.
The Air Marshal has done instructional tenures at National Defence Academy and at Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE). He has commanded a frontline Helicopter Unit and two premier IAF stations.
He has held the appointments of Senior Air and Administrative Staff Officer (SAASO) of HQ Maintenance Command and of ACIDS Int-C at HQ IDS, responsible for international defence cooperation. He holds a PG degree from Defence Services Staff College Wellington, MMS from College of Defence Management Secunderabad and M Phil from National Defence College New Delhi. Prior to assuming the current appointment, he was the Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command, handling air operations.
The Air Marshal is a recipient of the Presidential Awards of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vayu Sena Medal (VM).
In August, he was promoted as Air Mashal. Fondly addressed as Mani, he is the third Malayali to reach the Air Marshal post, a three-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force (IAF). The other two Malayalis who have reached the Air Marshal rank are Senior Air Staff Officer Western Air Command R Radhish and Senior Air Staff Officer Training Command Saju Balakrishnan.
Son of retired teacher Balakrishna Pillai and P K Lakshmi Kutty Amma, Mani hails from Thiruvarppu in Kottayam district of Kerala.
