Air Marshal Sunderraman Neelakantan

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

, YSM, VM, is a retired officer and was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

from 1 August 2016 to 1 March 2017. He was succeeded by Air Marshal

Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (born 15 September 1959), is a retired Indian Air Force officer, who served as the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, having assumed office on 30 September 2019 after the retirem ...

Career

Neelakantan was commissioned as a fighter pilot in

in December 1977. He is an alumnus of

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

and

Defence Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , presi ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE). He is a recipient of Presidential awards

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

the

Yudh Seva Medal The Yudh Seva Medal is one of India's military decorations for distinguished service during wartime. It is awarded for a high degree of distinguished service in an operational context, which includes times of war, conflict, or hostilities and may b ...

and the

Vayu Sena Medal The Vayu Sena Medal is a military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for a job well done in the Indian Air Force. However, it has been granted during times of conflict for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy, though not in the same numb ...

. A flight instructor and Fighter Combat Leader, he has flown over 3100 hours on various types of aircraft, and commanded a frontline fighter squadron and two flying bases. During 2006–07, he led the IAF contingent in Congo as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force. He served as Director General of Inspection & Safety at Air Headquarters from 1 July 2014 to 1 February 2015. He also served as Air Officer in charge Personnel (AOP) at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) from 2 February 2015 to 31 July 2016.

Personal life

Neelakantan is married to Uma Neelakantan. Together they have a daughter and a son. He is an active sportsman who plays golf, cricket and badminton. He is a qualified open water scuba diver. His hobbies include cooking, reading and travel.

Awards and medals

In his 40 years of career, Neelakantan has been awarded several medals: the

(January 2017), the

and the

(Gallantry).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neelakantan, Sunderraman Indian Air Force air marshals Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Defence Services Staff College alumni National Defence Academy (India) alumni