Indian Air Force, IAF, today signed an MoU with Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, to set up a vocational training centre for placement of retiring Airmen in the civil sector. The centre named as Happy Landings is intended to equip the Airmen with requisite skills enabling them to seek sustainable and befitting career prospects post retirement. The project is one of the HR initiatives by the IAF to ensure the well being of Air warriors and address their professional and personal aspirations. The MoU was signed between Air Vice Marshal Amit Aneja and Deputy Director General of CII Ms Supriya Banerji at Air Headquaters in New Delhi.

Seventy five per cent of the Air Force will be highly modernised by 2022. Addressing the media in New Delhi today, the Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne said that by the end of the 13th plan, about one lakh, fifty thousand crore rupees will be spent on the modernisation plan. He said that acquisition process of 126 Medium Multiple Role Aircraft, MMRA, is well on track and by the end of this fiscal, it will be finalised.

On Sukhoi 30 upgrade and acquisition, he said that 270 aircraft are to be acquired for 13 to 14 squadrons to be raised. Air Chief informed that by December 10th, the squadron will be raised in Punjab which will be operational by the middle of next year. He said that the aircraft is also being upgraded as per the requirement of the Force.

On assistance in Naxal combat, Air Marshal Browne said, with the acquisition of MI17 B5 helicopters, the air force will have day and night capability for surveillance.

Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, is on a four-day official visit to Brazil. During the visit, the Air Chief, will discuss bilateral issues of defence cooperation towards broader military ties. He will also call on Minister of Defence, Mr Celso Amorin to discuss these issues.
Mr Browne is also scheduled to visit the Brazilian Air Force Academy located at Pirassununga, Sao Paulo, its First Training Squadron and other training facilities, besides interacting with the cadets.

Vice Admiral D K Joshi will be the new Navy chief. At present he is Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval Command. He will take over the charge from the present Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral NK Verma, who retires on 31st of August this year.

According to an official release, during his long and distinguished Service spanning nearly 38 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. 

Vice Admiral Joshi's Sea Command includes Guided Missile Corvette Kuthar, Guided Missile destroyer Ranvir and the Aircraft Carrier Viraat. He was Defence Advisor in the Indian High Commission at Singapore from 1996 to 1999.

Indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas will be inducted into the Indian Air Force this year. The Defence Research and Development Organisation Chief V K Saraswat has said this after inaugurating a function organised of Aeronautical Society of India in Hyderabad.

He said after completing almost 1,855 flying hours the LCA is ready to enter into the final operational clearance phase. The LCA has been conceived and designed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency and manufactured at Bangalore- based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, HAL.

In Australia, two people have been confirmed dead in a glider crash in Victoria’s south-west. The accident happened at the Ararat Airfield. A gliding instructor and a 21-year-old female student died at the scene. Police say the glider crashed several hundred metres after it took off, being towed behind a plane. They say conditions were fine and it was not yet clear what caused the crash.