Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne will take over as the Indian Air Force's new chief on July 31. Currently Vice Chief, Browne has over 3,100 hours of flying on aircraft that include Hunters, all variants of the MiG-21, Jaguars and Su-30s. A fighter combat leader, Browne served as instructor at the IAF's top gun school, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE).
According to an IAF statement today, Air Marshal Browne established the Indian defence wing in Tel Aviv in April 1997 where he served as Defence Attache till July 2000. Between 2007-2009, he was IAF Deputy Chief at Air Headquarters, responsible for all major modernization programmes.
Before taking over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) at Air Headquarters on Jan 1 this year, he commanded the IAF's Western Air Command, the lAF's most vital operational command. Under his command and personal supervision, the first ever landing of an Antonov An-32 took place at the Nyoma advance landing ground, located at an altitude of 13,300 feet on 18 September 2009 (see photo).
