Air chief marshal (India)

Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal;
	Flag of an air chief marshal
	Shoulder Board
	Rank Insignia of an Air Chief Marshal
Country	India
Service branch	Indian Air Force
Abbreviation	ACM
Rank	Four-star rank
Next higher rank	Marshal of the Indian Air Force
Next lower rank	Air marshal
Equivalent ranks	General (Army); Admiral (Navy)

Last updated October 11, 2024

Air chief marshal is a four-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Air Force. Air chief marshal ranks above the three-star rank of air marshal and below the five-star rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force, which is largely a war-time or ceremonial rank.

Rank holders

The current and only air chief marshal in the Indian Armed Forces is the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). The equivalent rank in the Indian Army is general and in the Indian Navy is admiral.

History

The Indian Air Force inherited the rank of air chief marshal from the RAF. While the RAF air officers in command of RAF India were normally of a lower rank, Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt was promoted to the rank in 1937, towards the end of his tenure as Air Officer Commanding RAF India.^[1] Additionally, at the height of World War II, Sir Richard Peirse, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF India was also promoted to the rank.^[2]

After India gained independence, the Royal Indian Air Force and then Indian Air Force, continued to use the rank on paper. The rank of the Chief of the Air Staff was upgraded from air marshal to Air Chief Marshal in 1966. The first IAF officer to hold this rank was Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh (later promoted to the five-star rank of marshal of the Indian Air Force) who was promoted to the rank in 1966 while he served as the Chief of the Air Staff.^[3]^[4] Post 1966, all the air chiefs have held the rank.

Insignia

The flag of an Air chief marshal is sky blue with the national flag in the canton, the roundel in lower fly, and the Indian Air Force badge in upper fly. The badges of rank consist of three sky blue bands (each on a slightly wider navy blue band) over a sky blue band on a navy blue broad band. An air chief marshal wears gorget patches which are blue patches with four white stars and additional oak leaves under them. In addition to this, the blue grey terrywool tunic has four sleeve stripes consisting of a broad band with three narrower bands.^[5]

Appointment and term length

Appointments to the office of Chief of the Air Staff are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

The term length of the Chief of the Air Staff is three years or until the age of 62 of the holder, whichever is earlier.^[6]^[7]

Order of precedence

An air chief marshal ranks at number 12 on the Indian order of precedence, along with the CDS and the chiefs of staff of the Indian Army and Indian Navy (the COAS and the CNS).^[8] An air chief marshal is at pay level 18, equivalent to Cabinet Secretary of India (at number 11 on the warrant of precedence), with a monthly pay of ₹250,000 (US$3,500).^[9]^[10]

Related Research Articles

Air marshal is an air-officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence, including many Commonwealth nations. The rank is usually equivalent to a vice admiral or a lieutenant general.

Air chief marshal is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. This rank is also equivalent to an Admiral in a navy or a full general in an army or other nations' air forces.

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, was a senior air officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the 3rd Chief of the Air Staff from 1964 to 1969, leading the Air Force through the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was the first and only officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be promoted to five-star rank as Marshal of the Indian Air Force, equal to the army rank of Field Marshal.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial component of the Indian Armed Forces follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratap Chandra Lal</span> Indian Air Force Chief of Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal, DFC was the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He served in the IAF from 1939 until his retirement in 1973. He was the CAS at the time of Operation Chengiz Khan, the preemptive strikes that were carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that marked the formal initiation of hostilities of the war.

The Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) is the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff of India and second-highest ranking officer of the Indian Air Force. The VCAS is a PSO at Air Headquarters at New Delhi. In the event that the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) is absent or is unable to perform his duties, the VCAS assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CAS. The VCAS is normally held by an officer of three star rank and is held by an air officer of the rank of Air Marshal.

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star air chief marshal, the CAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IAF, mandated with the responsibilities of supervising the force's overall functioning during states of peace and wartime, committing to the establishment-cum-continuity of air deterrence and executing India's security objectives vis-à-vis the preservation of the country's air sovereignty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspy Engineer</span> Indian Air Marshal and diplomat

Air Marshal Aspy Merwan Engineer DFC was an officer in the Indian Air Force who rose through the ranks to become independent India's second Chief of the Air Staff, succeeding Subroto Mukerjee in 1960 and preceding Arjan Singh.

Marshal of the Air Force is a five star rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Air Force.

General is a four-star general officer rank in the Indian Army. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Army. General ranks above the three-star rank of lieutenant general and below the five-star rank of field marshal, which is largely a war-time or ceremonial rank.

Admiral is a four-star naval flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Admiral ranks above the three-star rank of vice admiral and below the five-star rank of admiral of the fleet, which has never been awarded or held.

Air marshal is a three-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force. It is the second-highest active rank in the Indian Air Force. Air marshal ranks above the two-star rank of air vice marshal and below the four-star rank of air chief marshal, which is held by the Chief of the Air Staff.

Vice admiral is a three-star flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the second-highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Vice admiral ranks above the two-star rank of rear admiral and below the four-star rank of admiral, which is held by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).

Lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank in the Indian Army. It is the second-highest active rank in the Indian Army. Lieutenant generals rank above the two-star rank of Major General and below the four-star rank of General, which is held by the Chief of the Army Staff.

Air Vice Marshal Erlic Wilmot Pinto, PVSM was an Air officer in the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Western Air Command when he was killed in the 1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash. He served in the IAF from 1940 until his death in 1963. He was the theatre air commander commanding the air operations during the Annexation of Goa.

Rear admiral is a two-star flag officer rank in the Indian Navy. It is the third-highest active rank in the Indian Navy. Rear admiral ranks above the one-star rank of commodore and below the three-star rank of vice admiral.

Air vice marshal is a two-star air officer rank in the Indian Air Force. It is the third-highest active rank in the Indian Air Force. Air vice marshal ranks above the one-star rank of air commodore and below the three-star rank of air marshal.

Commodore is a one-star rank in the Indian Navy. Commodore ranks above the rank of captain and below the two-star rank of rear admiral. This navy rank will be abbreviated as CMDE or Cmde.

Air Commodore is a One-star rank in the Indian Air Force. Air Commodore ranks above the rank of Group Captain and below the two-star rank of air vice marshal.

Group Captain is a rank in the Indian Air Force. Group Captain ranks above the rank of Wing commander and lower than an Air Commodore. It is equivalent to colonel in the Indian Army and captain in the Indian Navy.

References

↑ "Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt". rafweb.org. 23 July 2018.
↑ "Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse". rafweb.org. 26 July 2019.
↑ "Marshal of The Air Force | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.
↑ "Arjan". Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
↑ "Uniform | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.
↑ DelhiDecember 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; December 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; Ist, Manjeet Singh Negi New. "Maximum age limit for Chief of Defence Staff put at 65". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (29 December 2019). "Government amends rules to allow Chief of Defence Staff to serve up to maximum age of 65 years". The Economic Times.
↑ "President's Secretariat" (PDF). Office of the President of India. Rajya Sabha. 1979-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
↑ "Report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission" (PDF). 20 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015.
↑ DelhiJune 29, India Today Web Desk New; June 29, India Today Web Desk New; Ist, India Today Web Desk New. "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt". rafweb.org. 23 July 2018.

[2] "Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse". rafweb.org. 26 July 2019.

[3] "Marshal of The Air Force | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.

[4] "Arjan". Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.

[5] "Uniform | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.

[6] DelhiDecember 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; December 29, Manjeet Singh Negi New; Ist, Manjeet Singh Negi New. "Maximum age limit for Chief of Defence Staff put at 65". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[7] Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (29 December 2019). "Government amends rules to allow Chief of Defence Staff to serve up to maximum age of 65 years". The Economic Times.

[rajyasabha-8] "President's Secretariat" (PDF). Office of the President of India. Rajya Sabha. 1979-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-05.

[9] "Report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission" (PDF). 20 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015.

[10] DelhiJune 29, India Today Web Desk New; June 29, India Today Web Desk New; Ist, India Today Web Desk New. "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]