Air Marshal AP Singh has appointed the next Chief of the Air Force

Air Marshal AP Singh is the new Chief of the Indian Air Force | Photo Credit: Special Editing

Air Marshal AP Singh has been appointed as the next Chief of Air Staff. He is currently the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will take over the top post on September 30 when Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari retires on pension.

“The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh who is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff, as the next Chief of Air Staff, in place of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of September 30, 2024,” the defense ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

An alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Defense Services Staff College and the National Defense College, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the IAF on December 21, 1984. He is a qualified aviation instructor and a test pilot who has completed over 5000 tests. hours of flying experience in various fixed and rotary aircraft.

File photo of Air Marshal AP Singh with Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas | Photo Credit: ANI

Air Marshal Singh oversees the active military and the leading air base. As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 Project Management Team in Moscow, Russia. He was also the Project Director (Flight Test) at the National Flight Test Center responsible for testing the Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas). He served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Central Air Command before taking over as Deputy Chief on February 1, 2023.

The Air Marshal received the Param Vishisht Seva award and the Ati Vishisht Seva award.