Fifty-one Air Warriors, including 10 women officers, passed out from the AFTC after a rigorous course of one year and six months.
Reviewing the batch of 2009, Air Marshal Keshavamurthy Ramasundara said, “Aeronautical Engineering is one of the key elements in the field of aviation. Military aviation, even on good days, is hazardous. If the services rendered by engineers are faulty, the effects could be disastrous,” he said.
The Air Marshal mentioned the future responsibilities of the fresh engineers. “One SU-30 class of aircraft costs Rs 250 crore. Establishing a fleet of Hawk trainers costs the Indian exchequer Rs 8,000 crore. An aerostate system costs Rs 300 crore and any state of the art missile costs Rs two to three crore. In addition, during the life cycle of an item, operating and maintenance costs are many fold to the capital cost. This is where an engineer plays a critical role,” he said. The Air Marshal spoke on the already inducted Hawk, the ALH, SU-30 and the FRA. The first of the AWACS has been received and the IAF is upgrading the AN-32, the Jaguar, Mig-29 and the Mirages.
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