Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann takes over as Senior Air Staff Officer of Western Command
The Air Marshal is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the IAF on December 16, 1989. He has flown over 3,000 hours primarily on various types of fighter aircraft, said a statement.
A pilot Attack Instructor in his operational career, Air Marshal Mann has commanded a fighter squadron, and has been Chief Operations Officer of a forward base and Air Officer Commanding of a premium fighter base.
The IAF said he has also held various important appointments at Air Headquarters and Command Headquarters.
The Air Officer directed Joint Military Training exercises with the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 2017 and the USAF in 2018.
Air Marshal Mann held the appointments of Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration and Air Defence Commander of Central Air Command. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College and Royal College of Defence Studies, London (UK).
Prior to taking over as Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command, Indian Air Force, he was Director General (Weapon Systems) at Air Headquarters. The Air Officer is a recipient of the Presidential awards 'Ati Vishist Seva Medal' and 'Vayu Sena Medal'.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry said in a statement that ships from the Spanish Navy and the Italian Navy operating under EUNAVFOR engaged in a Table Top Exercise in Mumbai.
Both ships presently operate under the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR). The visit is significant, being the first such visit to India conducted under the aegis of the European Union.
It is a follow-up to the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EU President Ursula von der Leyen, highlighting their shared commitment towards international peace and security.
The exercise at sea saw participation by ESPS Reina Sofia and ITS Antonio Marceglia from EUNAVFOR and ships and aircraft from the Indian Navy, the statement said.
The complex tactical exercises were aimed at enhancing the interoperability between the two sides and will enable seamless operations when deployed for combating non-traditional threats in the Indian Ocean Region, it said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
Dark clouds fail to deter the spirits of people at Red Fort on the 79th Independence Day
The 79th Independence Day programme, themed around 'Naya Bharat' and Operation Sindoor, took place on Friday (August 15, 2025) morning under overcast skies. The grey skies and intermittent rainfall, however, did not dampen the spirits of those in the audience as they cheered during the 103-minute speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Red Fort. The guests ranged from the Indian contingent of Special Olympics 2025 and village sarpanches to beneficiaries of the Lakhpati Didi scheme and best-performing interns under the PM internship scheme. Before the PM unfurled the national flag at 7.30 a.m., it began raining, leading many to cover up with raincoats provided at the venue. A pop of colour appeared in the grey skies when Indian Air Force helicopters showered flower petals on the audience, and when Tiranga balloons were released in the air. The children in the audience ran around the venue to collect the petals that were being showered and cheered as the balloons were seen floating in the sky. Rohit Singh, 38, a private sector employee who keeps traveling between Lucknow and Delhi, said the rain did not matter, as it was his first time attending the Independence Day function. 'The entire programme was systematic and it instilled a patriotic feeling. It is special because my five-year-old daughter was excited and enjoyed the programme.' For his daughter, Samriddhi Singh, 5, who collected flower petals from the floor and kept it in her pocket, the most memorable part of the programme was the 'shower of flower petals'. Also Read | Independence Day highlights Sitting in the visitor's section, Neha Yadav (24) from Faridabad, exclaimed how attending the larger than live event has always been a far fetched dream. 'None of us ever thought we could hear the Prime Minister's address from the Red Fort, but when my nephew, a student at Delhi University arranged passes for us, I was ecstatic,' she said. While visitors shared their joy of being able to be part of the event, those like the sportspersons and Lakhpati didis who received invites as the special guests for the celebration expressed sheer joy and sentimentality. Speaking to The Hindu, Bhawna Yadav (36), a beneficiary of the Lakhpati didi scheme and drone, exclaimed how receiving a special invitation made her labour feel recognised. 'I have been working as a Banking correspondent for 4 years and operating a drone for a year to spray crops, but being selected as a special guest from my state has made me feel that my labour is recognised,' she said. For Heena Rajgur, a sportsperson from Gujarat who practices Yogasana, the journey from seeing the event on television to being a special guest for the event has been joyous and special. 'My family would always huddle near our television to watch the Prime Minister deliver the Independence Day speech, and now to be invited for the event has been an emotional journey,' said Ms. Rajgur. As the Prime Minister's speech ended, he made his way from the podium to the enclosure where several NCC cadet members were seated. Walking in a saffron turban, Mr. Modi crossed the sea of white and try-colour uniform wearing cadets and interacted with them. A group of three NCC cadets, Rosa, Himanshi and Swati, from Zakir Hussain Delhi College said that PM addressing Operation Sindoor made them feel 'patriotic'. One of them, Himanshi Bisht, 19, said, 'Our favourite part of the programme was when the PM mentioned GST reforms.' Another student, Prachi Nanda Thakur, 20, said, 'The PM stopped by and told us 'How could I leave without meeting you all?' It was a good feeling.' Meanwhile, Harshita Dargan, 18, a B Tech student, said, 'We were glad to hear the PM speak about technology and the future of India.' Band performances were conducted by the bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, NCC, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, BSF, IDS, RPF and Assam Rifles at over 140 prominent locations throughout the country. Meanwhile, to commemorate the Independence Day celebration, the Capital had been fortified with the deployment of over 11,000 security forces and 3,000 traffic police to ensure the safety of the attendees of the high-profile event. Commercial vehicles were prohibited from entering the city for a day in advance several special teams were deployed for round-the-clock monitoring. Surveillance was also done through CCTV cameras, drone detection systems and facial recognition systems.
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Sudarshan Chakra will neutralise aerial threats to India
The Sudarshan Chakra mentioned by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech is a complex combination of long-range radars, surveillance inputs from satellites, aircraft and UAVs, and long-range interceptor missiles that can neutralise any aerial threat coming towards India from its adversaries, according to people familiar with the matter. Simply, it is a multi-layered air defence network that not only protects Indian skies from enemy missiles, drones and rockets but also simultaneously retaliates to the attack and takes the war to the adversary. S-400 air defence system will be part of Sudarshan Chakra. Conceptualised by top national security planners and missile scientists, Sudarshan Chakra is an overarching security architecture that has come into fruition after Pakistan launched nearly 1000 projectiles, including ballistic missiles and armed drones, at India during Operation Sindoor . While some Pakistani missiles and drones were intercepted by anti-aircraft batteries and surface-to-air missiles, others were deflected from the main target by jamming the enemy's command and control network. The need for the Sudarshan Chakra comes at a time when Israel was able to neutralise 498 out of 500 ballistic missiles fired by Iran this year using the Iron Dome system. Given that Pakistan has developed a 2200 km range Ababeel surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile with MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles) warheads, India needs an overarching system that neutralises all aerial threats—from Kamikaze drones to ballistic missiles—in order to protect its large landmass and civilian population. PM Modi in his Independence Day speech today said: 'India is launching Mission Sudarshan Chakra to create a powerful weapon system to thwart and attempt by enemies to attack us…..all public places will be covered by an expanded nationwide security shield by 2035.' While the Cabinet Committee on Security has already cleared DRDO's Project Kusha which is aimed at extended range interceptors for Indian Air Force and Navy by 2030, Mission Sudarshan Chakra is an all encompassing security structure where control centres will receive inputs from multiple sources including satellites and airborne early warning systems and long range radars to identify incoming threats and then take a decision to either deflecting the incoming missile outside population centers or use precise interceptors to neutralize them before MIRV warheads are launched or before re-entry of the missile into atmosphere, the people cited above added. While India has built significant advanced radar capability, it needs to develop multiple range interceptors of different range and warhead weight to tackle missiles coming at different ranges and different heights. In this context, it is important for national security planners to study the Chinese missile systems as the majority of Pakistani missile arsenal is either from China or from Turkey, the people pointed out. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan fired Fatah I and II missiles at India but these were intercepted or deflected; it also fired Chinese CM 400 AKG missiles from JF-17 fighters at military targets but these were neutralized. This apart, Pakistan used Turkish Yiha drones with multiple payloads but all were neutralized by Indian air defence systems. According to top national security planners, Mission Sudarshan Chakra is not limited to defence but also has an offensive posture. India is developing short, medium and long range ballistic and cruise missiles such as Pralay and Nirbhay to target the enemy with precision. In this context, the Indian Navy will need long range missiles to target enemy ships from sea as well as land. Mission Sudarshan will be India's answer to all aerial threats with massive retaliation capability which bypass enemy defences and radars.
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
India First: PM's RSS praise sparks firestorm, 'Sudarshan Chakra' for India
9:54 This special report marks 100 days of Operation Sindoor with a first-ever ground report from Ambala Air Force Station, home of the Golden Arrow Squadron. The programme details how Rafale fighter jets launched missions to strike terror camps and cripple multiple air bases deep inside Pakistan. It explores the omni-role capabilities of the French-procured jets, which can perform air-to-air, air-to-ground, and reconnaissance missions in a single sortie, armed with Meteor and Scalp missiles. The commanding officer of the Golden Arrows reveals the precision of the mission, stating, "the roles that were assigned to the squadron and the aircraft were successfully completed by the squadron and whatever weapons were delivered by the aircraft were very very precise." The report also notes that following the operation's success, the Indian Air Force has formally pitched for additional Rafale jets to offset its depleting squadron strength.
