Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria attended a two-day commanders' conference of the Maintenance Command in Nagpur and pitched for embracing modern technology for the transformation and re-structuring of the force, a statement said.
The conference -- which ended on Friday -- was attended by the commanders of base repair depots, equipment depots and other stations or units under Maintenance Command (MC), and they reviewed ongoing projects and took stock of goals and tasks for MC in the year ahead, the IAF's statement said.
In his address to the commanders, Bhadauria noted the pivotal role of MC in the meticulous management of the vast and varied inventory of the IAF.
"Commending the Command for initiatives launched to meet the evolving needs of a modern and future ready IAF, he highlighted the need for building capacity to improve maintainability and operability in complex conditions along with a thrust on active pursuance of indigenised projects," the statement said.
While highlighting recent events, Bhadauria underscored the importance of due vigilance to meet new security challenges.
"He delved on aspects of embracing modern technology such as AI (artificial intelligence) and automation in the task of transformation and re-structuring of IAF to ensure that it is always combat ready," the statement noted.
The IAF chief exhorted the commanders to imbibe the 'mantras' of indigenisation and modernisation in their efforts to ensure that MC remains the fountainhead of maintenance and logistics support to integrated operations in the future.