Dr Sanu Kainikara

Ph: +61 2 6266 1360

E-mail: sanu.kainikara <at> defence.gov.au

Sanu Kainikara is a fighter pilot from the Indian Air Force who retired as a Wing Commander after 21 years of commissioned service. During his service career, he has flown almost 4000 hours on modern jet fighters and is operational on a number of them. He is a qualified Flying Instructor (A2) and a graduate of the Fighter Weapons School, the Joint Command and Staff College, as well as the College of Air Warfare. While on active duty he has held various important command and staff appointments. He is also the recipient of the Air Force Cross.

 He has Bachelors degrees in Economics and Human Resources and a Masters degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras. His doctorate (PhD) in International Politics was awarded by the University of Adelaide.

After retirement from active service, he worked for four years as an advisor, specialising in air power strategy, fighter operations, weapons and tactics to the Royal Saudi Air Force as part of a US Training Team. He has published numerous papers on national security, strategy and air power in various international professional journals. He is the author of Papers on Air Power (2006), Pathways to Victory (2007), Red Air: Politics in Russian Air Power (Universal Publishers USA, 2007), Australian Security in the Asian Century (2008), A Fresh Look at Air Power Doctrine (2008) and Seven Perennial Challenges to Air Forces (2009). He is also the contributing editor of Friends In High Places: Air Power in Irregular Warfare (2009). Currently he is the Air Power Strategist at the Air Power Development Centre.