| Details : | Air Commodore Kacheri Madathil Sivarama Menon Pradeep (15818) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) Branch on 02 Jul 79. The officer has held several field and staff appointments during his service career. He has been a Specialist Radar Officer and Senior Technical Officer at various Guided Weapon squadrons, Commanding Officer of Electronics Standards Calibration Team (ESCT) and the Station Commander of a Signals Unit. He has also held staff appointments as Command Signal Officer (Air) at Southern Air Command and Director Radar (Non-ADGES) at Air Headquarters. In recognition of the highly challenging and responsible nature of duties performed by him as part of the Combat crew in Surface-to-Air Guided Weapons (SAGW) Squadron, he has been awarded the coveted SAGW badge. During his tenure as the Commanding Officer of ESCT, he was instrumental in revamping calibration procedures for SAGW test equipment, identification of indigenous substitutes to test equipment to counter their non-availability from OEMs and indigenisation of microwave devices that were resulting in unserviceability’s to test stations. It was during his tenure as the Commanding Officer of a Signals Unit that the first Network Operations Centre cum Data Centre of the IAF was set up. In recognition of his distinguished service and devotion to duty, he was awarded the Commendation by Chief of the Air Staff on 26 Jan 04. Air Cmde KMS Pradeep is presently the Principal Director Guided Weapons Maintenance at Air Headquarters. As part of the modernisation plan of AD weapon assets of IAF, a large number of SAGW systems are under various stages of induction. There is an in-depth involvement of the officer at every stage in each of these projects based on his first hand working experience on erstwhile SAGW systems. This is bound to ensure that the systems under induction would continue to meet the operational requirements of IAF with an appropriately tuned maintenance philosophy for years to come. His proactive approach in reviving the operational potential of the existing ageing GW fleet through overhaul of OSA Combat vehicles, revision of maintenance philosophy of Pechora system so as to conserve their operational life and refurbishment/life extension of Pechora, OSA and IGLA missiles are bound to pay rich dividends in ensuring that optimal op capability of SAGW systems is maintained until induction of new systems. His liaison with High Explosive Materials Research Laboratory for stretching the life of Pechora missiles beyond their extended life would result in 60% additional availability of missiles while refurbishment has been delayed due to production constraints at Ordnance Factory Board. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Air Commodore Kacheri Madathil Sivarama Menon Pradeep. |
