Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC 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's rank structure is based on that of the Royal Air Force. The highest rank attainable in the Indian Air Force is Marshal of the Indian Air Force, conferred by the President of India after exceptional service during wartime. MIAF Arjan Singh was the only officer to have achieved this rank. The head of the Indian Air Force is the Chief of the Air Staff, who holds the rank of Air Chief Marshal. The current Chief of the Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, took office on 30 September 2019.
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. He is responsible for operation and flying related tasks. 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.
Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif was a former Air Officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 10th Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 1978 to 1981.
The Chief of the Air Staff is the head of military staff of the Indian Air Force. The COAS is the leader of the governing body of the Air Force, and is usually the highest ranking officer of the Air Force unless the Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces is taken as an officer of the aerial branch of the armed forces. The position is abbreviated as CAS in the Indian Air Force cables and communication, and is always held by a full Air Chief Marshal since 1966. The chief is directly responsible for leading the Indian Air Force as the chief military adviser on aerial affairs. They are responsible for coordinating and chairing the military air staff of the Air force and ultimately are subject to the Chief of Defence and the government of India.
Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC also known as "Charlie" Browne, is a former Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force. He served in this position from 31 July 2011 to 31 Dec 2013. Browne served as India's Ambassador to Norway from August 2014 to April 2016.
Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM & Bar, ADC is a former Air Officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF). He served as the 19th Chief of the Air Staff from 2001 to 2004. He raised the first electronic warfare squadron in the Indian Air Force. He has the rare distinction of having commanded three operational commands of the IAF - the Western, South-Western and Central Air Commands.
Air Marshal Sunderraman Neelakantan PVSM, YSM, VM, is a retired officer and was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force from 1 August 2016 to 1 March 2017. He was succeeded by Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC is an Indian armed air force officer who was the 25th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and served from 31 December 2016 to 30 September 2019. Dhanoa also served as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, ADC is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command from 1 January 2017 to 28 February 2019. He assumed the office from Air Marshal Shirish Baban Deo and was succeeded by Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar.
Air Marshal Anil Khosla, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC is a retired Indian air force officer who served as 42nd Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) of the Indian Air Force. He assumed the office on 1 October 2018 and handed over on 30 April 2019.
Air Marshal Balakrishnan Suresh PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command from 1 November 2019 following superannuation of Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar, till the day of his retirement on 31 July 2020.
Air Marshal Ravinder Kumar Dhir PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC is an advisor to Gujarat state for 'Defence and Aerospace Industries'. He was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force from 1 June 2015 to 29 September 2018. He took over from Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa and was succeeded by Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora.
Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora PVSM, AVSM, ADC is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force and served as the former Vice Chief of the Air Staff from 1 October 2019 till 30 June 2021. He is succeeded by Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC is an officer in the Indian Air Force. He is currently the Commanding-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. He assumed office on 31 January 2021 following the retirement of Air Marshal Navkaranjit Singh Dhillon. Previously he served as AOC-in-C in Central Air Command and SASO in Eastern Air Command. He will superannuate on 31 August 2021.
Air Marshal Surendra Kumar Ghotia, PVSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command till 30 April 2021. He assumed the office on 1 October 2019 following Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora's elevation to Vice Chief of the Air Staff. He superannuated on 30 April 2021 after almost 40 years of service. He was succeeded by Air Marshal Sandeep Singh
Air Marshal Amit Tiwari, PVSM, AVSM, VM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Central Air Command. He assumed the office on 1 February 2021 succeeding Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar and served till 31 May 2021. He is succeeded by Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth. Previously, he served as AOC-in-C of Southern Air Command.
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.