Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh has been appointed as the next chief of the Indian Air Force, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari. Air Marshal Singh, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will take charge of the force on September 30.
“The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff, in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of September 30,” the defence ministry said.
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All you need to know about Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, IAF’s next chief
Born on October 27, 1964, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the Indian Air Force’s fighter pilot stream in December 1984. Over a career spanning nearly four decades, he has held numerous key positions, including command, staff, instructional, and foreign appointments.
A graduate of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College, Singh is a highly experienced flyer, with over 5,000 hours of flying time on both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. He is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot.
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Throughout his distinguished career, Air Marshal Singh has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air base.
As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow and served as project director (flight test) at the National Flight Test Centre, overseeing the flight testing of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas.
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In his previous roles, he has served as Air Defence Commander at the South Western Air Command and as Senior Air Staff Officer at the Eastern Air Command. Prior to his appointment as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.
