Air force chief V R Chaudhari has exhorted the personnel of the IAF's Maintenance Command to ''anticipate and plan to meet the challenge of absorbing newer technologies,'' a Defence release said here on Wednesday.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari was in Nagpur for the Commander's Conference of the Maintenance Command held here on March 24 and 25, the release said.

Top officials of the Maintenance Command, which is based in Nagpur, attended the meeting.

In his address to the Field Commanders of Depots and Units under the Maintenance Command, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari acknowledged the role played by the command in the maintenance of combat assets of the Indian Air Force and its contribution to operational preparedness.

"He urged the air warriors to anticipate and plan to meet the challenge of absorbing newer technologies on our platforms and systems while simultaneously maintaining them in a combat-ready state. He emphasized the importance of synergizing our thoughts and actions towards maintaining our combat assets in an operationally prepared state at all times," the release said.

The Air Force chief also lauded the efforts of the Maintenance Command in effectively increasing the country's self-reliance in the maintenance of assets under the Make in India program.