17th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture held at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Bengaluru
Bengaluru. The 17th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture was organised by Air Force Association Karnataka Branch on June 27, 2026 at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Management Academy Auditorium, Bengaluru. The annual event is organised by Air Force Association, Karnataka Branch in association with HAL Bengaluru Branch. Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space presided over the event as the Chief Guest and delivered keynote address.
The event was attended by Air Marshal S Shrinivas, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command and aviation professionals from Indian Air Force (IAF), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), HAL and other allied aviation industries. The event began with an invocation by students from Air Force School, ASTE. This was followed by a welcome address by Air Marshal HB Rajaram (Retd), President Air Force Association Karnataka Branch.
In his welcome address, Air Marshal Rajaram explained the genesis of annual Katre memorial lecture and highlighted the immense contribution of late Air Chief towards the growth of aviation sector in India during his distinguished career spanning over 42 years in the Indian Air Force and HAL. Additionally, the Chairman and Managing Director of HAL also delivered a talk on HAL-IAF relations.
In his keynote address, “Indian Space Programme: The Challenges and Way Forward”, Dr. V. Narayanan highlighted India’s space vision under Viksit Bharat 2047 and acknowledged the pioneering role of late Air Chief Marshal LM Katre in shaping India’s aviation and aerospace industry. He also emphasized the aspect of interoperability amongst the IAF , HAL and ISRO towards achieving the national objectives and how all the three organisations have collectively delivered for each other’s growth. During the event, a souvenir commemorating the 17th Annual Katre memorial lecture was released by the Chief Guest. The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Air Commodore AK Patra (Retd), Vice President, Air Force Association Karnataka Branch.
