NEW DELHI: Air Marshal SP Dharkar, an accomplished fighter pilot with 3,600 hours of flying experience, on Thursday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

He succeeds Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh who became the Chief of Air Staff on September 30.

Air Marshal Dharkar has flown various types of fighter jets and trainer aircraft and commanded a MiG-27 squadron.

He is an experienced qualified flying instructor, fighter strike leader and instrument rating instructor.

Commissioned in the fighter stream in 1985, he is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), National Defence Academy (NDA), Defence Services Staff College and the US Air War College.

He has commanded a frontline fighter unit and served as the first Director General of the Defence Space Agency.

Air Marshal Dharkar was serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command prior to taking over as Vice Chief of Air Staff.

He has also served as the assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training) at the air headquarters.

As the Director General of the Defence Space Agency (DSA), he was responsible for handling all aspects related to setting up of the new organisation.

The DSA would control and oversee all aspects of space exploitation in the military domain by the Indian defence forces.