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{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]]
| name = Sreekumar Prabhakaran
| honorific_suffix = [[AVSM]], [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]]
| native_name =
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| image = File:Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran AVSM VM.jpg
| image_size = 200px
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| birth_place = [[Kannur]], [[Kerala]]
| allegiance = {{Country|India}}
| branch = {{Air force|India}}
| serviceyears = 22 December 1983 - 31 December 2022<ref name="sreekumarP_br"/>
| rank = [[File:Indian IAF OF-8.svg|24px]] [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]]
| servicenumber = 17318<ref name="sreekumarP_br"/>
| unit = [[No. 45 Squadron IAF|No. 45 Squadron]]
| commands = [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]]<br/>[[Air Force Academy (India)|Air Force Academy]]<br/>[[Surya Kiran]]
| battles =
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| awards = [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]<br>[[Vayu Sena Medal]]
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}}

[[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] '''Sreekumar Prabhakaran''', [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal|AVSM]], [[Vayu Sena Medal|VM]] is an officer in the [[Indian Air Force]]. He is currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]]. He assumed the office on 1 March 2022. Previously, he served as the Commandant of [[Air Force Academy (India)|Air Force Academy]], [[Dundigal]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1802096|title=AIR MARSHAL S PRABHAKARAN ASSUMES COMMAND OF IAF’S WESTERN AIR COMMAND|publisher=PIB|date=2022-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|agency=TNN|date=Nov 2, 2021|title=Air Marshal Prabhakaran takes charge of IAF Academy {{!}} Hyderabad News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/air-marshal-prabhakaran-takes-charge-of-iaf-academy/articleshow/87473856.cms|access-date=2021-11-03|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Sreekumar Prabhakaran is a native of [[Kannur]], [[Kerala]]. He is a graduate of [[Defence Services Staff College]], Wellington and an alumnus of the prestigious [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]], Khadagwasla and [[National Defence College (India)|National Defence College]], [[New Delhi]].<ref name="saso-swc">{{cite web|date=2019-11-06|title=Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran VM takes over as senior Air Staff Officer HQ SWAC|url=https://connectgujarat.com/air-marshal-sreekumar-prabhakaran-vm-takes-over-as-senior-air-staff-officer-hq-swac/|publisher=Connect Gujarat}}</ref><ref name="sreekumarP_br">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/17318/|title=Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran|publisher=Bharat Rakshak|date=2021-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kannur-native-takes-over-as-chief-of-western-air-command/article65183347.ece|title=Kannur native takes over as chief of Western Air Command|publisher=The Hindu|date=2022-03-02}}</ref>

==Career==
Sreekumar Prabhakaran was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force on December 22, 1983 from [[Air Force Academy (India)|Air Force Academy]], [[Dundigal]]. He has flying experience of over 4,800 hours on a variety of fighter aircraft and has commanded the venerable [[Surya Kiran]] display team.<ref name="suryakiran">{{cite web|url=https://www.thehansindia.com/news/national/iaf-chief-rks-bhadauria-reviews-progress-of-air-power-projects-703272?infinitescroll=1|title=CAW gets a new commandant|publisher=Hans India|date=2014-12-03}}</ref><ref name="sreekumarP_br"/>

Sreekumar Prabhakaran has commanded the [[Surya Kiran]] display team and under him the team has participated in over 150 accident free public display. The team was awarded the Chief of Air Staff's Unit Citation under his command.<ref name="suryakiran"/><ref name="swac1">{{cite web|url=https://connectgujarat.com/air-marshal-sandeep-singh-takes-over-the-command-as-aoc-in-c-swac/|title=Air Marshal Sandeep Singh takes over the command as AOC-in-C SWAC|publisher=Connect Gujarat|date=2021-05-01|access-date=2021-05-26}}</ref>

With a long career of 37 years. He has served as senior directing staff (Air) at DSSC, Wellington and has commanded two flying bases. He also served as the Defence Attache at [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]] from 2007 to 2010.<ref name="saso-swc"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/141202/nation-current-affairs/article/sreekumar-prabhakaran-head-college-air-warfare|title=Sreekumar Prabhakaran to head college of Air Warfare|publisher=Deccan Chronicle|date=2014-12-02}}</ref>

He served as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of [[South Western Air Command, Indian Air Force|South Western Air Command]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Desk|first=Connect Gujarat|date=2019-11-06|title=Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran VM takes over as senior Air Staff Officer HQ SWAC|url=https://connectgujarat.com/air-marshal-sreekumar-prabhakaran-vm-takes-over-as-senior-air-staff-officer-hq-swac/|access-date=2021-11-03|website=connectgujarat.com|language=en}}</ref> He also served as Director General (Flight Inspection & Safety)<ref name="sreekumarP_br"/><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1191946643886788608|user=PIBAhmedabad|title=Air Marshal Sreekumar Prabhakaran VM took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer of Headquarter South Western Air Command on 04 Nov 2019.|date=2019-11-06}}</ref><ref name="aoc-tc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Units/list.php?qunit=TC/|title=Training Command - BR |publisher=Bharat Rakshak|date=2021-08-01}}</ref>

He assumed the charge of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]] on 1 March 2022 succeeding [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] [[Amit Dev]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/air-marshal-s-prabhakaran-to-take-over-as-new-western-air-commander20220225221918/|title=Air Marshal S Prabhakaran to take over as new Western Air Commander|publisher=ANI|date=2022-02-25}}</ref>

== Honours and decorations ==
During his career, Sreekumar Prabhakaran has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2005 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1792624|title=President approves 384 Gallantry Awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day|publisher=PIB|date=2022-01-25}}</ref>

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{Ribbon devices|ribbon=Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|ribbon=Vayusena Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|style="text-align:center;"|[[Vayusena Medal]]
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-mil}}{{Succession box
| title = Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]]
| years= 1 March 2022 – 31 December 2022
| before = [[Amit Dev]]
| after = [[Pankaj Mohan Sinha]]
}}{{Succession box
| title = [[Commandant of the Air Force Academy|Commandant]] – [[Air Force Academy (India)|Air Force Academy]]
| years = 1 November 2021 – 28 February 2022
| before = [[Sanjeev Kapoor (air marshal)|Sanjeev Kapoor]]
| after = [[B Chandra Sekhar]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = Senior Air Staff Officer - [[South Western Air Command, Indian Air Force|South Western Air Command]]
| years = 4 November 2019 – 31 October 2021
| before = [[Balabhadra Radha Krishna]]
| after = [[Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = Director General - [[Inspector General of Flight Safety|Inspection and Flight Safety]]
| years = 1 June 2019 - 31 October 2019
| before = [[Sardar Harpal Singh]]
| after = [[Manavendra Singh]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prabhakaran, Sreekumar}}
[[Category:Indian Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Vayu Sena Medal]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Commandants of the Indian Air Force Academy]]
[[Category:Indian air attachés]]
[[Category:Commandants of College of Air Warfare]]

Sreekumar Prabhakaran - Revision history

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