Wing Commander Dr. K. Ramchand, Founder of CABS and DRDO Pioneer, Passes Away Recently at 82.

Obituary

In January 2025, Wing Commander Dr. K. Ramchand (Retd), the founder and director of the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab in Bengaluru, Karnataka, passed away at the age of 82 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.


      - Leadership in AEW&C Development: Dr. K. Ramchand led the DRDO team for the indigenous design and development of the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft. The aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2017 and played a key role during the 2019 Balakot airstrike, providing air cover to Mirage 2000 jets.

      - He authored the book "The Incredible Journey of the Indian Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)", which was released at Aero India in 2019.

      - During his over 20-year career in the IAF, he served in the IAF Communication Squadron (COM Squadron) and flew several Very Important Persons (VIPs) as a crew member.

Main Point :-   (i) As part of the crew, he transported senior Indian Army officers during the surrender marking the end of the Indo-Pakistan war on December 16, 1971.

      (ii) Dr. K. Ramchand received the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and was honored with the "Scientist of the Year Award" in 1985.


          ____________________________