AIR VICE MARSHAL SANDESH WAGLE, VM TAKES OVER AS DEPUTY COMMANDANT AND CHIEF INSTRUCTOR AT NDA
Air Vice Marshal SP Wagle, VM takes over as Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor (DCCI), NDA from Maj Gen Ashok Ambre, AVSM, SM who has taken over as GOC 9 Core at YOl, Dharamshala on being promoted to the rank of Lt General.
Air Vice Marshal Sandesh Wagle was born on 24 Nov 1962 at Mumbai. After schooling in various Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country he studied in St Xavier’s College Mumbai before joining the NDA in 1981. He was commissioned in helicopter stream of the IAF in 1984. He is as alumnus of 65th NDA course.
The Air Marshal has flown over 6000 hours covering the length and breadth of the country from Indira Col in the Siachen Glacier to Indira point in the Nicobar islands and from the Rann of Kutch to the Arunachal borders. He flew extensively in the OP Meghdoot in the Glacier over tenures for five years and in OP Pawan in Srilanka for over two years.
He had flown the entire variety of helicopters in the IAF and has commanded the Attack Helicopter Squadron and the oldest Helicopter Unit of the IAF of which he is now the Commodore Commandant.
He has commanded an Attack Helicopter Unit in the UN Mission at the Democratic Republic of Congo where he had the unique opportunity to operate alongside a Pakistani Infantry Brigade. During his command tenure his squadron was awarded the best operational helicopter unit of the IAF.
He has also commanded Air Force Station Leh, the only Air station which guards our airspace against both our adversaries. He has done two staff appointments at Air HQ, the first in the Inspector General’s branch conducting operational readiness inspection of combat units of the IAF and the second in the Operation Branch where as Principal Director for helicopter, he oversaw the helicopter operation for the IAF. He has also done an instructional tenure at Defence Services Staff College as the Senior Instructor Air and Head of Training Team.
He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College where he was awarded the Lengtaine Medal, a graduate of the Higher Air Command course at College of Air Warfare and the National Defence College.
He has been awarded the Chief of Air Staff Commendation and the Vayu Sena Medal (VM).
