Air Commodore Ashutosh Lal VM, M-in-D (Retd), is a
decorated aviator, accomplished test pilot and strategic thinker
whose career spans 9,200 hours of flying and some of military
aviation’s most demanding assignments. A Mi-35 attack
helicopter pilot and Category A Qualified Flying Instructor, he
flew the Cheetah at Siachen, transformed the Mi-35 with
Western avionics and cleared its flight envelope for Himalayan
operations. He commanded an Attack Helicopter Squadron,
the Helicopter Training School and served as Chief Instructor
at the Air Force Academy. His UN mission in DR Congo
and tenure as Air Attaché in Kyiv during the Crimean
annexation deepened his strategic vision. A Defence Services
Staff College and National Defence College alumnus, he holds
ATPL(H) and DGCA Type-Rated Examiner credentials.
