IAF chief inaugurates new weapons systems school

Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday inaugurated the new Weapon Systems School (WSS) at Begumpet airbase in Hyderabad. The move comes after the approval for the establishment of a new Weapon Systems (WS) branch in 2022.

“The new branch will have four streams: a flight stream to operate weapons and systems in airborne platforms like the Sukhoi-30 MKI and C-130J; a remote stream to operate remotely piloted aircraft; mission commanders and operators for surface-to-air and surface-to-surface weapon systems; and an intelligence stream to manage space intelligence and imagery,” the IAF said in a statement.

Aimed at recalibrating and transforming the IAF into a future-oriented force, the formation of this new training establishment is a giant step for the armed forces in general and the IAF in particular, he said.

The WSS will impart result-oriented training which is contemporary in nature and will prepare the officers of the newly formed branch as per the requirements of the IAF, the statement said. The flying cadets of the WS branch will undergo their second semester of training in this institute.

During the interaction, the Air Chief highlighted that with the creation of WS branch, operators of land and specialised weapon systems will be brought under one roof, significantly enhancing the combat capabilities of the IAF.