Indian Air Force appoints Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma and Air Marshal KAA Sanjeeb

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has announced two significant leadership appointments. Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma has become the first woman officer from a non-medical branch in the Indian Defence Forces to achieve a two-star rank. Commissioned into the Education Branch in 1994, Sharma assumed her role as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) at Air Headquarters on September 1, 2026. Her career includes establishing IAF Chairs of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and Pune University, and serving as the first woman officer from the Tri-Services to command Sainik School, Kapurthala.

Simultaneously, Air Marshal KAA Sanjeeb has assumed the appointment of Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance (AOM) of the IAF, succeeding Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia. Commissioned in 1988 in the Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) branch, Sanjeeb brings extensive experience in aircraft maintenance and technical administration. He will oversee the IAF’s maintenance ecosystem, including aircraft serviceability and the integration of new-generation platforms, as the service focuses on increasing indigenous maintenance capabilities and fleet availability.