Ashok K Chordia is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the College Air Warfare. A former Assistant Director of Operations (Para), he has served as the Commandant and as the Chief Instructor at the Garud Regimental Training Centre. As a Parachute Jump Instructor, he has jumped from 10 different types of IAF aircraft––from the vintage Packet and Dakota to the state-of-the-art Special Operations aircraft, C-130J Super Hercules. He has carried out test jumps with newly developed parachutes and trial jumps during the induction of AN-32 and IL-76 aircraft. He is a founding member of Akashganga, the IAF’s Skydiving Team. He holds the Limca Book record for a rare parachuting achievement. He led a team of Parachute Jump Instructors in Operation Cactus (the Maldives, November 1988). He is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi.