College of Air Warfare (CAW) is a defence service training institution of the Indian Air Force. The college conducts courses and programmes in the art of Joint Warfare, with special emphasis on employment of Air Power.
The functional and the administrative control of the college is with the Training Command of the IAF. The current Commandant of the college is Air Vice Marshal Manish Khanna AVSM, VM
History[edit]
The college was established on 1 July 1959 and was initially known as School of Land and Air Warfare (SLAW) situated at New Delhi. After receiving the approval from the President of India, SLAW moved to its present location in Secunderabad on 25 July 1959. Air Commodore K L Sondhi was the first Commandant.[2] The college was inaugurated by the then Minister of Defence, V. K. Krishna Menon formally, on 3 September 1959.[3]
The School of Land Warfare was renamed as the Joint Air Warfare School (JAWS) on 25 November 1967, with the introduction of Naval aspects of warfare.
It was renamed the "College of Air Warfare" in January 1976 after the IAF received sanction from the President on 9 November 1975.[4]
Location[edit]
The college is located on the busy Sardar Patel Road in Secunderabad. It overlooks the expanse of the General K. V. Krishna Rao Parade Ground. The campus is situated about 1.5 km from the Secunderabad Junction railway station and the Begumpet Airport.
Courses[edit]
CAW conducts the following courses
Higher Air Command Course (HACC)
Basic Professional Knowledge Course-Flying (BPKC-F)
Ground Liaison Officers Course (GLOC)
Senior Officers Study Period (SOSP)
Combined Operational Review and Evaluation Programme
To assist in development of Air Force doctrines, concepts and strategy.
To study and teach 'Air Power' and conduct training in concepts of Air Warfare.
To conduct training in Joint Air Operations for officers of Army, Navy and Air Force.
To conduct computer aided War-Games of the Air War.
To establish and maintain liaison with similar organisations in the other countries.
To impart training to junior and middle level officers of the Indian Air Force in leadership and behavioural sciences, so as to improve their qualities of leadership and man management.
To research, compile and publish books on IAF Personalities, Institutions, Campaigns and Squadrons.
List of Commandants[edit]
S.No
Name
Assumed office
Left office
Commandant School of Land and Air Warfare
1
Air Commodore K L Sondhi
14 July 1959
7 December 1959
2
Air Commodore S N Goyal
11 December 1959
31 March 1961
3
Air Commodore H S Ratnagar
6 June 1961
12 January 1966
4
Air Commodore A R Pandit, DFC
13 January 1966
24 November 1967
Commandant Joint Air Warfare School
1
Air Commodore A R Pandit, DFC
25 November 1967
14 December 1967
2
Air Commodore P C Ramachandran, AFC
15 December 1967
30 September 1970
3
Air Commodore FVA Scudder, AVSM
15 October 1970
7 May 1972
4
Air Commodore S S Achreja
24 May 1972
29 February 1976
5
Air Commodore R P Sinha
1 March 1976
11 November 1976
Commandant College of Air Warfare
1
Air Commodore R P Sinha
12 November 1976
31 March 1980
2
Air Commodore A M Shahane
12 November 1980
2 August 1981
3
Air Vice Marshal Man Singh, AVSM, VM, VSM
3 August 1981
16 December 1984
4
Air Vice Marshal I D Bhalla, AVSM
17 December 1984
31 July 1986
5
Air Vice Marshal R K Dhawan, AVSM, VM
20 August 1986
14 February 1988
6
Air Vice Marshal P J Jayakumar, AVSM
15 February 1988
2 July 1989
7
Air Vice Marshal Dushyant Singh, VM, VSM
3 July 1989
8 March 1991
8
Air Vice Marshal V Kapila, AVSM, VrC
11 March 1991
31 May 1992
9
Air Vice Marshal Jagbir Singh, VrC
19 October 1992
30 December 1994
10
Air Vice Marshal S S Hussain Naqvi, AVSM, VrC
31 December 1994
31 August 1997
11
Air Vice Marshal A K Trikha, AVSM, VSM
3 October 1997
31 August 1999
12
Air Vice Marshal A R Ghandhi, AVSM, VrC
1 September 1999
31 March 2001
13
Air Vice Marshal D E Jonas, AVSM
1 April 2001
31 April 2004
14
Air Vice Marshal V R Iyer
1 November 2004
31 January 2007
15
Air Vice Marshal K G Bewoor, AVSM, VM
1 February 2007
22 March 2009
16
Air Vice Marshal PS Gill, AVSM, VM
23 March 2009
31 December 2010
17
Air Vice Marshal D P Upot, VSM
2 May 2011
30 November 2014
18
Air Vice Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran, VM
1 December 2014
19 June 2016
19
Air Vice Marshal Upakarjeet Singh, AVSM
20 June 2016
28 February 2017
20
Air Vice Marshal R Radhish, AVSM, VM
1 March 2017
12 November 2018
21
Air Vice Marshal Suraj Kumar Jha
13 November 2018
30 September 2019
22
Air Vice Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik, VM
1 October 2019
31 July 2020
23
Air Vice Marshal K. S. K. Suresh, VM
1 August 2021
To date
See also[edit]
Army War College, Mhow
Naval War College, Goa
Indian National Defence University
Military Academies in India
Tactics and Air Combat and Defence Establishment (TACDE)