KOCHI: Air raids across India-Pak Line of Control in Balkot and two other locations during early hours of Tuesday was a combined strike with fighters, early warning system aircraft, and mid-air refueller jets, sources claimed.

According to Indian media, 12 Mirage 2000s took off in batches while early warning system aircraft took off from another airfield.

Quoting sources, Indian media reported that simultaneously, a mid-air refueling tanker also took off from another location a Heron surveillance drone took off from a secret airfield before the airstrike to take a final survey of the targets.

According to the sources, Pakistan’s Saab 2000 airborne early warning and control aircraft managed to detect the IAF Mirage 2000 but Pakistani F16s, which were scrambled to retaliate, turned back due to the size of the Indian formation.

And finally, before returning to the base, the Jets had reportedly dropped 1000kg bombs.

All the operations were coordinated by India’s Western Ari Command.

And the Command is headed by Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar AVSM VM VSM ADC.

He is the son of Shri MK Chandrashekharan Pillai and Late Smt Sreedevi Amma and hails from Pandanad, Chengannur, Alappuzha District of Kerala. He finished his schooling from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun.

He was commissioned in the IAF in the year 1979.

A Qualified Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader, he has over 3300 hours of flying.

He has done instructional tenures at Fighter Training Wing, Tactics and Air Combat Development Establish (TACDE) and College of Air Warfare.

He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College. He has commanded a MiG-21 Squadron, TACDE, and a front-line fighter base. His staff appointments include Ops IA, Air-I at HQ Western Air Command and Deputy Director Air Staff Inspection, Director Operations (Joint Planning), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff Operations (Offensive) at Air HQ and Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarter South Western Air Command.

The Air Marshal was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command prior to his present appointment as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command.

He is awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Vayu Sena Medal (VM), Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) and CAS Commendation. He has been appointed as Honorary Air Force ADC to President of India on 01 Jan 2017.

He is married to Devika and they have two sons. He is an avid reader and enjoys traveling.