Hyderabad: Marking a significant milestone in its history, the Indian Air Force (IAF) inaugurated the Weapon Systems School (WSS) at Air Force Station Begumpet, Hyderabad, on July 1, 2024. Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), presided over the ceremony, underscoring the IAF’s commitment to evolving as a future-oriented force. This development follows the establishment of the Weapon System (WS) branch in 2022, aimed at recalibrating and transforming the Indian Air Force.
Air Vice Marshal Premkumar Krishnaswamy, Commandant of the Weapon Systems School, welcomed the CAS. The ceremony was also attended by Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, along with other senior IAF officers including the Commandant of the Air Force Academy, the Commandant of the College of Air Warfare, the Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Hakimpet, and the Station Commander of Air Force Station Begumpet.
The WSS will provide contemporary, effect-based training, preparing officers of the newly formed WS branch to meet the evolving needs of the IAF. With its inauguration, Flight Cadets of the WS branch will undertake their second semester of training at this facility. The WS branch will encompass four streams:
- Flying Stream: Operators for weapons and systems on airborne platforms such as the Sukhoi-30 MKI and C-130J.
- Remote Stream: Operators for Remotely Piloted Aircraft.
- Mission Commanders and Operators: Personnel for Surface-to-Air and Surface-to-Surface weapon systems.
- Intelligence Stream: Specialists handling space-based intelligence and imagery.
During the interaction, the CAS highlighted the strategic importance of the WS branch, emphasizing that consolidating operators of ground-based and specialist weapon systems under one branch would significantly enhance the IAF’s warfighting capabilities. He encouraged the instructors, as pioneers of this newly formed branch, to uphold the highest standards of training, thus ensuring the School’s success as a premier center for weapon systems training in the country.