The Central government has recently appointed Air Marshal, Mr. Amar Preet Singh, as the next Chief of the Air Staff. Officer Singh is presently posted as the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will take over on September 30th upon the incumbent Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari’s superannuation. Officer Singh, a decorated officer and awardee of the Param Vishishta Sewa Medal (PVSM) and Ati Vishishta Sewa Medal (AVSM), will be commanding the world’s fourth-largest air force.
Officer Singh is an accomplished fighter pilot and is equipped with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience. He possesses vast experience in air warfare which he garnered while serving in crucial positions like commanding an operational fighter squadron, a frontline airbase and leading the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow. He has also served as the project director (flight test) at the premier National Flight Test Centre in Bengaluru.
The veteran was commissioned to the Air Force in 1984 and has been closely associated with the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) programme. Air Marshal Singh’s appointment as the Chief of the Air Staff has come at a time when the Air Force is aggressively pursuing its modernization campaign and is undertaking reform for the best use of the military’s resources to fight future wars.
Here Are Some Facts About The Indian Air Force (IAF):
- The IAF is the fourth-largest operational air force in the world, after the USA, the People’s Republic of China, and Russia.
- The IAF works for United Nations Peacekeeping Missions.
- The motto of the IAF is ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’, taken from the eleventh chapter of the Srimad Bhagavadgita.
- Padmavathy Bandopadhyay was the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force.
- The IAF etched its name in history via a world record during its ‘Raahat’ mission by airlifting almost 20,000 civilians during the Uttarakhand flash floods
