The Indian Air Force is set to retire its fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets at a decommissioning event in Chandigarh. The event will mark the end of an era for the aircraft that has been a key part of the IAF's combat fleet for over six decades.
The legendary Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter jets, the the backbone of the Indian Air Force's combat fleet for more than six decades, streaked through Indian skies for the last time on Friday -- its final adieu edged in history and many a remembrance.
Along with Tyagi, his cousin Sanjiv alias Julie Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan were also arrested.
Air Marshal S P Tyagi has been named the next Chief of the Indian Air Force.
The IAF chief said projects like Integrated Materials Management On-Line System and Modern Air Defence Ground Environment System Communication Network will need to be exploited to the hilt.
A division bench of justice Vijender Jain and justice H R Malhotra also quashed the Air Force's promotion policy of 2002.
"There are 600 women officers in IAF and my prime duty is to ensure that any complaint from a woman officer is inquired into in a just manner," Air Chief Marshal Tyagi said.
SU-30 MKI is a twin-engine, twin-seater aircraft, which can simultaneously be operated as interceptor, bomber and trainer, sources said.
Former Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, on Wednesday refuted allegations that he was paid bribes to swing a Rs 3,600 crore deal for procuring 12 choppers from Italian firm Finmeccanica to ferry VVIPS. "I am innocent. These allegations are totally baseless and I am denying them categorically. The deal was signed in 2010 whereas I retired in 2007 itself," he said.
It is too premature to point a finger at former Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi. India's mind-boggling acquisition procedure is so complex that no foreign agency can handle the deal without involving a middleman, Air Marshal (retired) B K Pandey tells rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa
CBI sources said while Air Marshal (Retd) Gujral has been asked to appear for questioning on Saturday, Tyagi will be examined on Monday.
CBI had registered a case against Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case.
Tyagi, arrested on December 9 in AgustaWestland chopper scam case, was granted bail by a special court in New Delhi.
Former Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, whose name has surfaced in the VVIP helicopter scam, has admitted having met one of the alleged middlemen but claimed innocence.
He was subjected to a marathon 10-hour questioning on Thursday by ED investigators.
Tyagi, said he was in no mood to give up his new found hobby.
The CBI has issued look-out notices for former IAF Chief SP Tyagi, his three cousins and five other Indians who have been named in its FIR in the alleged kickbacks received by them in Rs 3600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
The ex-IAF chief was questioned in the same case by CBI for the last three days. This is the first time that the ex-Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
It makes a difference, but India is tough enough to face any challenge, the IAF chief said.
Ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi will undergo further custodial questioning for three more days as the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday told a court that AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam was a "very serious" case requiring his interrogation to unearth the larger conspiracy as the "interest of the nation was compromised".
The national flag will fly half-mast on the day of the funeral in Delhi.
A Delhi court on Saturday sent former Air Force Chief S P Tyagi, arrested in Rs 450 crore Agusta Westland bribery case in procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters, to police custody for four days after the CBI said he was needed to be quizzed to unearth a "very large conspiracy having international ramifications".
Christian Michel's investigation in New Delhi has revealed nothing substantial, contrary to the expectations of the prime minister and the media hype. A fascinating excerpt from Raju Santhanam's The Untold Story of Christian Michel and Agustawestland.
Not only is there a possibility for a conventional retaliation by Pakistan, there could also be terror attacks.
Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned former Indian Air Force Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar in connection with its money laundering probe in the multi-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal.
Hardik Pandya will be aiming to build on the rich legacy of his predecessor Rohit Sharma when he begins his Mumbai Indians captaincy stint in the IPL 2024 match against Gujarat Titans, a team that the star all-rounder himself marshalled over last two seasons, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
When the IAF veterans' bail petition came up for hearing, in an unprecedented move, senior serving and retired Air Marshals and Air Vice Marshals rallied behind the accused officers and appeared before the court to give sureties for each, something that has never happened ever before.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a supplementary charge sheet in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland scam against former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma and four Indian Air Force personnel, officials said Wednesday.
The IAF has insisted it hit its targets. If that is indeed true, then the lack of obvious damage could mean it has used a different bomb -- possibly procured secretly from Israel.
Widening its probe in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, the ED has begun a trail of "cash" which is suspected to have been paid as alleged kickbacks.
Officials said the agency has sought property details on ten serving and retired officials of the ministry of defence and the IAF.
After the agency's submission, all the three accused moved their bail applications, which will be heard on December 21 as the CBI sought time to reply to the applications.
Delhi Capitals will look to do the double when they host Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL contest at home on Saturday.
If the government of the day would like to set in place a smooth and well-planned changeover and facilitate the incoming chief to chalk out his action plan well in advance, the announcement of a successor needs to be done early, observes Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
Others named in the chargesheet include alleged European middlemen in the deal, Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke.
The F-16s are built by Lockheed Martin. Earlier, Lockheed had offered to build "exclusive" F-16 fighters for the Indian Air Force.
He became the first helicopter pilot to be named chief of the Indian Air Force.
Tyagi has said that in the changing phase of international relations, economic security also becomes vital.
'There is no threat to the country. And we are capable of handling all security concerns'.
Indian Air Force has devised a new strategy for the geo-economic security of the region. \n\n
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