Manavendra Singh

Air Marshal Manavendra Singh PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC
Personal details
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vir Chakra Medal Vishisht Seva Medal
Military service
Allegiance	India
Branch/service	Indian Air Force
Years of service	29 December 1982 – 31 December 2022
Rank	Air Marshal
Unit	No. 115 Helicopter Unit
Commands	Training Command Southern Air Command
Service number	16983 [1]

Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command. He assumed the office on 25 September 2021 succeeding Air Marshal Rajiv Dayal Mathur. ^[2] Previously, he served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command. ^[3]

Early life and education

Manavendra Singh is an alumnus of National Defence Academy. He is also a graduate of Army War College, Defence Services Staff College and Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia. ^{[4] [5]}

Career

Manavendra Singh was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a helicopter pilot on 29 December 1982. In a career spanning over 38 years, he has as over 6,600 hours of flying experience and has a service experience in various sectors like the Siachen, the North East, Uttarakhand, the Western desert. ^{[4] [5]}

He has commanded front line bases in Bukavu, DRC during peacekeeping mission. ^[4]

Prior to his appointment as AOC-in-C, Southern Air command, he served as Director General of Inspection and Flight Safety. ^[4]

In December 2021, he was appointed as the head of the Tri-Services Inquiry to investigate the reason of Coonoor Mi-17 Crash which claimed the life of 14 including CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat and his Wife. ^[6]

He superannuated on 31 December 2022 after 40 years of service and was succeeded by Air Marshal Jonnalagedda Chalapati as the AOC-in-C, Training Command. ^[7]

Honours and decorations

During his career, Manavendra Singh has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vir Chakra, Vishisht Seva Medal for his service. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022. ^{[8] [9]}

Param Vishisht Seva Medal

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Vir Chakra Medal

Vishisht Seva Medal

References

1. "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
2. "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh takes charge as chief of IAF's Southern Command". New Indian Express. 2 February 2021.
3. "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh Takes Charge As Chief Of Indian Air Force's Southern Command". NDTV. 3 February 2021.
4. "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh appointed chief of Southern Air Command". The Tribune. 3 February 2021.
5. "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh takes over as Air Officer Commanding-in-chief of Southern Air Command". ANI. 3 February 2021.
6. "Air Marshal Manvendra Singh to head tri-service inquiry into IAF chopper crash: Rajnath Singh". India Today. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
7. Chalapati-took-over-iaf- Southern Air-Command/1293107/ "Air Marshal Jonnalagedda Chalapati takes over IAF Southern Air Command". The Print. 1 January 2023.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
8. @DefencePROTvm (1 February 2021). "Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vir Chakra, Vishisht Seva Medal took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of Southern Air Command (SAC), Aakkulam, Tvm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. "President approves 384 Gallantry Awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day". PIB. 25 January 2022.

Military offices
Preceded by Rajiv Dayal Mathur	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command 25 September 2021 – 31 December 2022	Succeeded by Radhakrishnan Radhish
Preceded by Amit Tiwari	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command 1 February 2021 – 25 September 2021	Succeeded by Jonnalagedda Chalapati
Preceded by Sreekumar Prabhakaran	Director General of Inspection and Flight Safety 1 November 2019 – 31 January 2021	Succeeded by Gurcharan Singh Bedi
Preceded by Rajeev Sachdeva	Senior Air Staff Officer - Southern Air Command 14 December 2018 – 31 October 2019	Succeeded by Gurcharan Singh Bedi