Suryakant Chintaman Chafekar

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Air Vice Marshal

Suryakant Chintaman Chafekar

AVSM, SC
File:AVM SC Chafekar.jpg
Born (1959-09-27) 27 September 1959 (age 66)
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
AllegianceFile:Flag of India.svg India
ServiceIndia Air Force
Service years1982–2017
RankAir Vice Marshal
Service number17013-L
ConflictsOperation Pawan
Operation Cactus
AwardsAti Vishisht Seva Medal
Shaurya Chakra
SpouseAbhilasha Suryakant Chafekar[1]
Other workAuthor, Defence Analyst

Air Vice Marshal Suryakant Chintaman Chafekar AVSM, SC is a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer who served as the Senior Air and Administration Staff Officer,[2] Maintenance Command, IAF, from 1 July 2016 until he retired on 30 September 2017. He was the commanding officer of No. 48 Squadron IAF. During his career he landed Antonov An-32 aircraft on High Altitude Advanced Landing Grounds (HAALG)s in Daulat Beg Oldi,[3][4] Fukche[5] and Nyoma.[6]

Early life and education

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Suryakant Chintaman Chafekar was born on 27 September 1959 at Nagpur, Maharashtra, to Captain Chintaman Vishnu Chafekar and Vijaya Chintaman Chafekar.[7] Captain Chintaman Vishnu Chafekar was an officer in the Indian Territorial Army[8] and a social activist.[9] Vijaya Chintaman Chafekar was a school principal from Nagpur.[citation needed]

Suryakant Chintaman Chafekar is an alumnus of Dharampeth Science College, Nagpur; Air Force Academy, Dundigal; Flying Instructors School; Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu;[10] and College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad.[citation needed]

Military career

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File:Photo feature-01.jpg
An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 taking off from the Daulat Beg Oldi ALG

Chafekar was commissioned as a pilot officer in the transport stream of the IAF on 29 December 1982. He has held several important command, staff and instructor appointments during his career. He was considered to be an expert in flying fixed wing aircraft in the Himalayan Region, and supervised humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tasks such as flood and earthquake relief operations.[11]

On 18 February 2002, during a trial landing at Kargil airfield near the Pakistan border his aircraft was fired upon by a Pakistani missile that hit one of the engines, setting the aircraft on fire.[12][13] He continued to fly the aircraft with only one operational engine, and landed it at IAF airfield at Leh.[citation needed]

During his tenure as the commanding officer of No. 48 Squadron IAF, on 31 May 2008,[14][15] Chafekar landed an Antonov An-32 aircraft at a HAALG at Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) (16,700 feet (5,100 m)) about 9 km (5.6 miles) from the Line of Actual Control with China.[16][17][18] He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra by the President of India for this mission.[7]

On 4 November 2008, while Chafekar was still serving with No. 48 Squadron, he landed an Antonov An-32 at the Fukche HAALG approximately 3 km (1.9 miles) from the Line of Actual Control with China. This airstrip sat at a height of 13,700 ft (4.2 km) and was last used during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.[19]

Around 15 months after the trial landings at DBO and Fukche, on 18 September 2009, Chafekar landed an Antonov An-32 at the Nyoma ALG, about 23 km (14 miles) from the Line of Actual Control with China.[20][21]

During his career Chafekar was also awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal[22] by the President of India for his service to the Indian Air Force, from which he retired on 30 September 2017.[23]

Notable appointments

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Name of Appointment Rank Insignia Period
Senior Air and Administration Staff Officer,[2] Maintenance Command, IAF Air Vice Marshal File:Air Vice Marshal of IAF.png 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017
Assistant Chief of Integrated Defense Staff (Financial Planning),[24] Integrated Defence Staff Air Vice Marshal File:Air Vice Marshal of IAF.png 5 June 2015 to 30 June 2016
Principle Director Operations (Transports), Air Headquarters, IAF Air Commodore File:Air Commodore of IAF.png 2 December 2013 to 31 May 2015
Principle Director Operations (Space),[25] Air Headquarters, IAF Air Commodore File:Air Commodore of IAF.png 1 May 2013 to 1 December 2013
Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Chandigarh,[26] IAF Air Commodore File:Air Commodore of IAF.png 2 May 2011 to 30 April 2013
Principle Director Operations (Transports & Helicopters), Air Headquarters, IAF Air Commodore File:Air Commodore of IAF.png 26 April 2010 to 1 May 2011
Director Operations (Transports), Air Headquarters, IAF Group Captain File:Group Captain of IAF.png 18 November 2009 to 25 April 2010
Commanding Officer, No. 48 Squadron IAF Group Captain File:Group Captain of IAF.png 1 January 2008 to 17 November 2009
Chief Operating Officer, Air Force Station Agra, IAF Group Captain File:Group Captain of IAF.png 1 July 2005 to 31 December 2007
Commanding Officer, 2 Maharashtra Air Sqn NCC Nagpur, IAF Wing Commander File:Indian IAF OF-4.svg 12 September 2002 to 30 June 2005

Honours and awards

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File:PHOTO FEATURE SC Chafekar1.jpg
AVM SC Chafekar presented with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2015

Dates of rank

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Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
File:UK-Air-OF1B.svg Pilot Officer Indian Air Force 29 December 1982
File:British RAF OF-1b.svg Flying Officer Indian Air Force 29 December 1984
File:British RAF OF-2.svg Flight Lieutenant Indian Air Force 29 December 1986
File:British RAF OF-3.svg Squadron Leader Indian Air Force 29 December 1993
File:British RAF OF-4.svg Wing Commander Indian Air Force 17 May 1999
File:British RAF OF-5.svg Group Captain Indian Air Force 20 November 2006
File:India-AirForce-OF-6-collected.svg Air Commodore Indian Air Force 10 May 2010
File:India-AirForce-OF-7-collected.svg Air Vice-Marshal Indian Air Force 1 September 2015

Post retirement

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File:AVM SC Chafekar (retd.) delivering a speech at a seminar.jpg
AVM SC Chafekar (retd.) delivering a speech at a Prahar military school seminar

He has published his autobiography in 2 languages- Nilaeechya Chatta[31] (Marathi, published September 2021), Shades of Blue[32] (English, published November 2021). These books have been published by Rajhans Prakashan, Pune, India. He has been awarded Lakshmi Bai Tilak Award for Best Autobiography (Marathi) for year 2021 by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune, India.[33][34] He has also been awarded Rashtriya Sant Tukdoji Maharaj Smruti Puraskar for Best Autobiography (Marathi) for year 2021-22 by Vidarbha Sahitya Sangha, Nagpur, India.[35]

He also works as a defence analyst[36] and publishes articles in many Indian newspapers including The Hitavada,[37] The Times of India,[38] and Loksatta.[39]


Military awards and decorations

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File:Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg File:Shaurya Chakra ribbon.svg
File:IND Samanya Seva medal.svg File:IND Siachen Glacier Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND Special Service Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND Operation Parakram medal.svg
File:IND Operation Vijay medal.svg File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND High Altitude Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon.svg
File:IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal.svg File:IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg File:IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Shaurya Chakra
Samanya Seva Medal Siachen Glacier Medal Special Service Medal Operation Parakram Medal
Operation Vijay Medal Sainya Seva Medal High Altitude Service Medal Videsh Seva Medal
50th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

References

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  27. ^ Union Government, Weekly, 2015-04-04, Part I-Section 1, Ref. 1GI/2015 by Government of India(4 April 2015)
  28. ^ Gazette of India, 2009, No. 71 by Government of India (21 March 2009)
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