Air marshal Amar Preet Singh appointed next IAF chief, to take charge on Sept 30

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh has been named the next Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), replacing Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, who is set to retire on September 30. Singh, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will officially take over on the afternoon of September 30, as confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.

Born on October 27, 1964, Air Marshal Singh has an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades. Commissioned into the IAF's fighter pilot stream in December 1984, he has held several key positions including command, staff, instructional, and international appointments. He has flown over 5,000 hours on both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot.

A graduate of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College, Singh has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air base. Notably, he led the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow and served as Project Director for the flight testing of India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas.

In his previous roles, he was the Air Defence Commander at the South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at the Eastern Air Command. Prior to his role as Vice Chief, he served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.