Details : | Group Captain Abhijit Prabhakar Saraph (21427) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) branch on 29 Sep 1991. He has held various appointments viz Officer in Charge Technical Flight, Senior Technical Officer of fighter squadron and Senior Software Engineer. At present, he is Director Project (Su-30) at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhavan). He is post graduate in Computer Science from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and has been awarded commendations by Air Officer in Charge, Western AirCommand and Chief of Air Staff for his dedication, sincerity and achievements. As an Engineering Officer in Technical Flight at a forward air base, he was instrumental in providing maintenance support to two Mig-23 BN units during 'Op Safed Sagar'. After getting trained abroad on Su-30 MKI, the officer contributed immensely in establishing the maintenance and avionics testing facilities at Air Force Station, Pune and smooth induction and operationalization of the Su-30 MKI squadron. The officer developed specific to type tools and test equipment like weapon circuit tester and Fly ByWire power supply tester, which resulted in substantial saving of man hours during maintenance. He was instrumental in compiling booklets on FEW system, weapons and radar to facilitate easy comprehension of these intricate systems. The officer's knowledge on software systems was very useful at Software Development Institute. He successfully led several integration projects like integration of Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrument pod, Solid State Digital Video Recording System, 1000 lb bomb, ASTRA missile, BRAHMOS missile, Auxiliary Mission Computer and Pilot project for Operational Data Link, In-house development of these software has resulted in substantial saving of foreign exchange and guaranteed seamless independent integration of the new systems. The officer has utilised his knowledge and experience to discharge his duties as Director Projects (Su-30) exceptionally well. His logical presentations and methodical approach have been very useful in progressing various procurement cases and finalization of the contracts for additional Su-30 MKI aircraft and BRAHMOS missile. His meticulous planning and coordination helped in successful completion of trials of Electronic Warfare Pods and new software version of the aircraft. His efforts to increase synergy between Russians, HAL and IAF have shown results. He has contributed immensely in finalizing requirements for enhancement of operational capability of the aircraft and initiated new integration activities through HAL to sustain operational capability in future. He is the knowledge storehouse on this aircraft and is frequently called upon by other Directorates at AirHQ for expert advice on issues related to Su -30 MKl fleet. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vishisht Seva Medal to Group Captain Abhijit Prabhakar Saraph. |