Western Air Command ( India ) The Western Air Command ( WAC ) is the regional command of Indian Air Force headquartered in New Delhi . It is the largest and most important Air Command of the IAF , comprising sixteen Air Force Bases ( AFBs ) , and is responsible for aerial defence of North India . The current Commander is Air Marshal S . S Soman AVSM VM , AOC - in - C , WAC . WAC ' s Area of Responsibility extends from Kashmir to Rajasthan , covering the states of Jammu and Kashmir , Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , New Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh . History . WAC was raised in 1947 as the No . 1 Operational Group which controlled all the flying units of Indian Air Force , including the flying training units . On July 22 , 1949 , the No . 1 Operational Group was re - designated as the Operational Command . In 1958 , The rank of the Commanding Officer of Operational Command was upgraded from Air Commodore to Air Vice Marshal and later , to the rank of Air Marshal . In the aftermath of the India - China War of 1962 , the IAF began the process of demarcation of specific areas of responsibility , and splitting up of the flying Corps into various operational air commands . On June 10 , 1963 , Operational Command assumed its present name of Headquarters Western Air Command . Due to its geographical location in the crucial North Indian region , surrounded by Pakistan to the west and China to the East , WAC has been involved in all major operations in India since independence , and has been the hub - centre of all operational activities during any operation . The IAF Western Air Command is engaged in air logistics operations to supply troops deployed at Siachen Glacier . These operations are undertaken from the Siachen Forward Air Base , using Mi - 17 , HAL Dhruv and HAL Cheetah helicopters . The Western Air Command has been the major operational command involved in most of the war fought by India , including the Indo - Pakistani War of 1947 , Sino - Indian War in 1962 , the Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 , Indo - Pakistan War of 1971 , Operation Pawan ( 1986 ) in Sri Lanka and Operation Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil War . Organization . Western Air Command is headquartered at Subroto Park , New Delhi . It is headed by an Air Officer Commanding - in - Chief , WAC , of the rank of Air Marshal . The current AOC - in - C WAC is Air Marshal S . S Soman AVSM VM . Under the C - in - C come the Senior Air Staff Officer , Senior Maintenance Staff Officer and Senior Officer in Charge of Administration , who are of the ranks of Air Vice Marshal or Air Commodore . They handle the day to day activities of the Command and act as the liaison between the various Wings . WAC also has a forward headquarters located at Chandigarh near the Army ' s Western Command . There is an Air Operations Group , formed in 1982 , located at Udhampur , Jammu and Kashmir , which is principally tasked with the defence of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh . No . 224 Squadron , Indian Air Force was raised in July 1983 at Adampur and operated with WAC until its disbandment in 2007 . Squadrons include : No . 1 Wing IAF was formed at Jammu Air Force Station on 10 March 1948 and moved to Sringar on 25 January 1963 . Air Bases . WAC has been assigned 10 permanent Air Force Stations ( AFS ) and 6 Forward Base Support Units ( FBSUs ) , including the strategic Forward Air Base at Siachen . Along with these , WAC also has over 200 operational bases , Advance Landing Ground s ( ALGs ) , and Operational centres placed under its command . The Air Force Stations / Wings under WAC control are :