He assumed the office on October 3, 2021, succeeding Air Marshal Manavendra Singh.

He has completed his National Defence Course from Bangladesh and Masters Degree in Military Studies from King's College London.

[4] Jonnalagedda Chalapati was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force on December 22, 1983.

[1][5] Chalapati is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot and has about 3311 hrs of operational flight experience.

He had served as a test pilot at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited working with DRDO on various projects.