Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor takes over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff
Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor took charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 January 2026, as Air Marshals Tejinder Singh and Seethepalli Shrinivas took over South Western Air Command and Training Command.
Summary
Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor took charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, on 1 January 2026, having previously served as AOC-in-C of Training Command and then of South Western Air Command. Kapoor, a fighter pilot commissioned on 6 December 1986, has also served as Defence Attaché to Pakistan. On the same day Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over as AOC-in-C, South Western Air Command, and Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas as AOC-in-C, Training Command.
Key facts
- Vice Chief of the Air Staff
- Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor (from 1 Jan 2026)
- Kapoor's earlier posts
- AOC-in-C Training Command, then South Western Air Command; Defence Attaché to Pakistan
- AOC-in-C, South Western Air Command
- Air Marshal Tejinder Singh
- AOC-in-C, Training Command
- Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Who took charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, on 1 January 2026?
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Correct answer: C — Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor
PIB (MoD): Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor took charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 January 2026.
Which IAF command did Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas take over as AOC-in-C on 1 January 2026?
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Correct answer: A — Training Command
PIB (MoD): Air Marshal Seethepalli Shrinivas took over as AOC-in-C, Training Command; Air Marshal Tejinder Singh took over South Western Air Command.
Consider the following statements about Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who became Vice Chief of the Air Staff in January 2026: 1. He served as Defence Attaché to Pakistan. 2. Immediately before this, he was AOC-in-C, South Western Air Command. 3. He was commissioned in the transport stream of the IAF. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1 and 2 only
PIB (MoD): Kapoor was Defence Attaché to Pakistan and served as AOC-in-C Training Command and thereafter South Western Air Command before becoming VCAS. He was commissioned in the fighter stream, so statement 3 is wrong.