Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who has over 5,000 hours of flying experience, will be the next IAF chief. Image: Wikipedia
Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who has over 5,000 hours of flying experience, will be the next commander of the Indian Air Force, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
Singh, currently serving as the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, will take over command of the forces on the afternoon of September 30, the Defence Ministry said.
“The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, currently serving as Vice Chief of Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff, in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from noon on September 30,” the statement said.
Air Force Commander Chaudhari is retiring on September 30.
Air Marshal Singh was born on 27 October 1964 and was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force in December 1984.
During his long and distinguished service of almost 40 years, he held various command, staff, instruction and foreign positions.
The Air Officer is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College. He is a qualified flight instructor and experimental test pilot with over 5,000 hours of flying time on various fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
The officer has commanded an operational fighter squadron and an air base at the front.
As a test pilot, he led the project management team for the MiG-29 upgrade in Moscow.
He was also project leader (flight tests) at the National Flight Testing Centre and was responsible for the flight tests of the light combat aircraft Tejas.
Air Marshal Singh held key staff positions as Commander of Air Defence at the South Western Air Command and as a Senior Staff Officer at the Eastern Air Command.
Before assuming the position of Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he was Commander in Chief of the Central Air Command.
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First publication: Sep 21, 2024 | 3:06 PM IST
