Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM is a serving four star air officer of the Indian Air Force. He is the current and 28th Chief of the Air Staff.[2] He took over as the 28th CAS succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari on 30 September 2024.[3] He was previously serving as the 47th Vice Chief of the Air Staff.[4] He was previously serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command,[5] prior to that he served as the Senior Air Staff Officer at the Eastern Air Command.[6]
Amar Preet Singh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 28th Chief of the Air Staff | |
| Assumed office 30 September 2024 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Vivek Ram Chaudhari |
| 47th Vice Chief of the Air Staff | |
| In office 1 February 2023 – 30 September 2024 | |
| Chief of Air Staff | Vivek Ram Chaudhari |
| Preceded by | Sandeep Singh |
| Succeeded by | Sujeet Pushpakar Dharkar |
| Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command | |
| In office 1 July 2022 – 31 January 2023 | |
| Chief of Air Staff | Vivek Ram Chaudhari |
| Preceded by | Richard John Duckworth |
| Succeeded by | Ravi Gopal Krishana Kapoor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 October 1964 Delhi, India |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 21 December 1984 - Present[1] |
| Rank |  Air Chief Marshal |
| Unit | No. 22 Squadron |
| Commands |
|
| Service Number | 17695[1] |
| Awards | |
Early life and education
editThe Air Officer is an alumnus of S.B.M. School, Delhi and later the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Air Force Academy, Dundigal. He is also an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College, New Delhi.[7]
Military Career
editAir Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 December 1984 from the Air Force Academy, Dundigal. In a distinguished career spanning across 38 years, he has tenanted various staff and instructional appointments. He has flown a variety of fighter and trainer aircraft with more than 5000 hours of operational flying. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an experimental test pilot with service flying on a variety of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.[4] As Wing Commander, he commanded the No. 22 squadron, then made up of the MiG-27 fighter aircraft.[8] He spearheaded the MiG-29 Upgrade Project Management Team at Moscow, Russia and was instrumental in flight testing of the HAL Tejas. He served as the Chief Test Pilot at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment.
After being promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, he served as the Project Director at National Flight Test Center, Aeronautical Development Agency and as the Air Officer Commanding of 2 Air Defence Control Centre at Gandhinagar.[1]
After being promoted to the rank of Air Marshal, he was appointed as the Senior Air Staff Officer of the Eastern Air Command at Shillong. A year later, on 1 July 2022, he took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command succeeding Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth who superannuated from service on 30 June 2022.[5][9]
On 1 February 2023, Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh took over as the 47th Vice Chief of the Air Staff succeeding Air Marshal Sandeep Singh when the latter superannuated from service on 31 January 2023.[10] As VCAS, he was at the forefront of the largest ever multinational Air Exercise Tarang Shakti held in India that was concluded in September 2024. In a significant message on the importance and the efficiency of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, he flew extensively during the drill including a sortie with VCOAS Lieutenant General N. S. Raja Subramani and VCNS Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan.[11]
Chief of the Air Staff
editOn 21 September 2024, the Government of India appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh as the next Chief of the Air Staff.[12] On 30 September 2024, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh took over as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who superannuated after more than four decades of service.[2][3]
Personal life
editAir Marshal Singh is a keen squash player. He is married to Mrs Sarita Singh. The couple is blessed with a son and a daughter.[13]
Awards and decorations
editDuring his career, he has been awarded with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019[14] and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023.[15]
Dates of rank
edit| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Officer | Indian Air Force | 21 December 1984[1] | |
| Flying Officer | Indian Air Force | 21 December 1985[1] | |
| Flight Lieutenant | Indian Air Force | 21 December 1989[1] | |
| Squadron Leader | Indian Air Force | 21 December 1995[1] | |
| Wing Commander | Indian Air Force | 14 May 2001[1] | |
| Group Captain | Indian Air Force | 05 Nov 2007[1] | |
| Air Commodore | Indian Air Force | 30 Dec 2010[1] | |
| Air Vice Marshal | Indian Air Force | 01 Aug 2016[1] | |
| Air Marshal | Indian Air Force | 1 February 2021 (AOC-in-C from 1 July 2022)[1] | |
| Air Chief Marshal (CAS) |
Indian Air Force | 30 September 2024[16] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Service record - Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ a b "AIR CHIEF MARSHAL AP SINGH TAKES OVER AS THE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF". Press Information Bureau. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b Service, Statesman News (30 September 2024). "Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh takes charge as new IAF chief". The Statesman. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b "AIR MARSHAL AP SINGH ASSUMES APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF" (Press release). PIB. 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b "AIR MARSHAL AP SINGH ASSUMES THE APPOINTMENT OF AOC-IN-C CENTRAL AIR COMMAND" (Press release). PIB. 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Central Air Command - IAF". Indian Air Force. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh appointed as Vice Chief of Air Staff". DDE. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Dutta, Amrita Nayak (21 September 2024). "Who is Air Marshal AP Singh, set to be the new Air Chief?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ "Air Marshal AP Singh takes over as CAC chief". Hindustan Times. 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Air Marshal AP Singh Takes Charge As Vice Chief Of Indian Air Force". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Historic flight by Vice Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force in Tejas fighter jet". India Today. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh appointed as next Chief of the Air Staff". PIB. 21 September 2024.
- ^ "Air Marshal AP Singh: सेंट्रल एयर कमांड के एओसी-इन-चीफ बने एयर मार्शल एपी सिंह, बमरौली में संभाला कार्यभार" (in Hindi). Jagran. 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Awards to IAF Personnel on Republic Day 2019". 25 January 2019.
- ^ "President approves 412 Gallantry awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day" (Press release). PIB. 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Air Marshal AP Singh appointed new IAF Chief". The Tribune. 21 September 2024.