Bengaluru, Oct 1 (IANS): Air Marshal R.D. Mathur on Thursday took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force's Training Command from Air Marshal A.S. Butola.

Prior to the present appointment, he was heading the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command.

Commissioned into the IAF in June 1982 as a fighter pilot, Mathur has logged 5,100 hours of flying various aircraft, including fighters, and helicopters.

"During his over three decades career, Mathur was commanding officer of a fighter squadron and commanded a frontline fighter base," an IAF statement said.

He has also served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Operations (Space) at the IAF headquarters in New Delhi, the Air Defence Commander at the Eastern Air Command, and Senior Air Staff Officer of the Gandhinagar-South Western Air Command.

An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College at Wellington and the National Defence College in New Delhi, Mathur was awarded the Vishist Seva Medal in 2003, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2014 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.

He was also honorary ADC to the President.