Nagpur. 26 May 2023. Maintenance Command Mini Commanders’ Conference on the theme of “Industry 4.0 in Engineering and Logistic Environment” was held at Vayusena Nagar the command head quarter today and was presided over by Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, AOC-in-C, Maintenance Command.
The AOC-in-C in his address appreciated the vital role being played by the Units of Maintenance Command towards sustenance of various fleets and systems. He emphasized that IAF is ready to embrace industry revolution 4.0 through extensive use of cutting edge technologies and in-house manufacturing process by reconfiguration and upgrade using features of automation. He also appreciated the indigenously developed Enterprise Recourse Planning (ERP) for materials management which is now poised for upgradation with the potentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for better asset management of IAF inventories.The AOC-in-C also awarded trophies to Units which were adjudged best in their respective fields of activities.
Maintenance Command was formed at Kanpur on 26 January 1955 with Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh MBE PVSM as its first Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief. Kanpur was the hub centre of maintenance activities even before independence. The only Base Repair Depot (BRD) of the Indian Air Force existed at Kanpur, along with a Repair and Manufacturing Depot (RMD). A unit called Aircraft Manufacturing Depot (AMD) was subsequently added to undertake manufacture of Avro aircraft. In the perspective of the industrial revolution in India, when the role of IAF was more clearly defined, AMD was transferred to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This division of HAL is today known as Transport Aircraft Division or HAL (TAD), and is based at Chakeri, Kanpur. IAF, however, was poised to expand in times to come and Kanpur alone could not absorb the futuristic industrial activities. Nagpur was eventually selected as the new site for setting up Maintenance Command Headquarters.
