Air Marshal Ravi Kant Sharma PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Vice Chief of the Air Staff retires on 31 May 2015 after 40 years of service. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the IAF in June 1975 as a fighter pilot. During his long and distinguished career, the Air Marshal commanded a Combat Squadron of the IAF, the Air Force Test Pilot School, Prototype Test Squadron at Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) and a major Air Force base. A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, he has been the Project Director (Flight Test) of the ongoing Light Combat Aircraft Project. The officer also served abroad as the Defence Attaché. He had earlier held the appointments of Assistant Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Financial Planning), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans), Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command.
He is married to Dr Chitralekha Khati Sharma, a retired Wing Commander Medical Specialist of the IAF.