List of Chief Air Marshal of India from 1947

List of Chief Air Marshal of India from 1947 – 2021, Updated List

List of Chief Air Marshal of India: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari is the current CAS, having taken office on September 30, 2021. Check updated List of Air Marshal of India for UPSC exam.

Table of Contents

Chief Air Marshal of India

The Indian Air Force, the world’s fourth largest, was officially established on October 8, 1932. The primary mission of the Indian Air Force is to secure Indian airspace and conduct aerial warfare during armed conflict. The highest rank in India’s IAF is “Marshal of the Indian Air Force,” which is awarded only for exceptional service to the country by the President of India.To date, only Arjan Singh has received the title “Marshal of the Indian Air” for his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war.

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Chief Air Marshal of India

Chief Marshal is the chief of the military staff of the Indian Air Force. Unless the Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Services is considered an officer of the aerial branch of the armed forces, the CAS is the leader of the Air Force’s governing body and is normally the Air Force’s highest-ranking officer. In the Indian Air Force, an air chief marshal is a four-star air officer rank. It is the Indian Air Force’s highest active rank. Air chief marshal is a three-star rank above air marshal and a five-star rank below Marshal of the Indian Air Force, which is primarily a wartime or ceremonial rank.The Chief of the Air Staff, the professional head of the Indian Air Force, holds this rank. When the holder is a serving Indian Air Force officer, the Chief of Defence Staff may also hold the rank. The rank is abbreviated as CAS in Indian Air Force cables and communications, and it has always been held by a full Air Chief Marshal since 1966. He is directly responsible for guiding the Indian Air Force as the principal military adviser on aerial issues. They are in charge of managing and chairing the military air staff of the Air Force. They report to the Indian government as well as the Chief of Defence Staff.

The First and Current Air Chief Marshal of India

The first Indian Air Force’s Commander-in-Chief was Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee. Air Chief Marshal.Air Marshal VR Chaudhari is the current CAS, having taken over after Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on September 30, 2021.

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List of Air Chief Marshal of India

Here’s complete updated List of Air Chief Marshal of India:

S.No	Name	Rank	Date of appointment	Date of Discharge
1	Sir Thomas Walker Elmhirst	Air Marshal	15 Aug 1947	23 Feb 1950
2	Ronald Ivelaw Chapman	Air Marshal	23 Feb 1950	9 Dec1951
3	Sir Gerald Ernest Gibbs	Air Marshal	10 Dec1951	31 Mar 1954
4	Subroto Mukerjee	Air Marshal	1 April 1954	31 March 1955
5	A. M. Engineer	Air Marshal	1 Dec 1960	31 July 1964
6	Arjan Singh	Air Chief Marshal	1 Aug 1964	15 July 1969
7	Pratap Chandra Lal	Air Chief Marshal	16 July 1969	15 Jan 1973
8	Om Prakash Mehra	Air Chief Marshal	16 Jan 1973	31 Jan 1976
9	Hrushikesh Moolgavkar	Air Chief Marshal	1 Feb1976	30 Aug 1978
10	I. H. Latif	Air Chief Marshal	1 Sep 1978	30 Aug 1981
11	Dilbagh Singh	Air Chief Marshal	1 Sep 1981	3 Sep1984
12	Lakshman Madhav Katre	Air Chief Marshal	3 Sep 1984	1 July 1985
13	D. A. La Fontaine	Air Chief Marshal	3 July 1985	31 July 1988
14	S.K. Mehra	Air Chief Marshal	1 Aug 1988	31 July 1991
15	Nirmal Chandra Suri	Air Chief Marshal	31 July 1991	31 July 1993
16	S. K. Kaul	Air Chief Marshal	1 August 1993	31 Dec1995
17	S. K. Sareen	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 1995	31 Dec 1998
18	A. Y. Tipnis	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 1998	31 Dec 2001
19	Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 2001	31 Dec 2004
20	Shashindra Pal Tyagi	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 2004	31 Mar 2007
21	Fali Homi Major	Air Chief Marshal	31 March 2007	31 May 2009
22	Pradeep Vasant Naik	Air Chief Marshal	31 May 2009	31 July 2011
23	Norman Anil Kumar Browne	Air Chief Marshal	31 July 2011	31 Dec 2013
24	Arup Raha	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 2013	31 Dec 2016
25	Birender Singh Dhanoa	Air Chief Marshal	31 Dec 2016	30 Sep 2019
26	Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria	Air Chief Marshal	30 Sep 2019	Sep 30,2021
27	Vivek Ram Chaudhari	Air Chief Marshal	Sep 30,2021	Incumbent

Office of the Air Chief Marshal of India

After India gained independence, the chief of the Air Force was given the title “Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force.” On 1 March 1948, the title “Chief of the Air Staff” was added to maintain uniformity across the three armed forces, followed by a re-designation to “Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force” on 21 June.The “Royal” designation was dropped when India became a republic on January 26, 1950. As a result, the Indian Air Force’s commander-in-chief has been renamed “Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force.”The name of the IAF’s top officer was changed to “Chief of Air Staff” by the Commanders-in-Chief (Change in Designation) Act of 1955. A three-star Air Marshal held the position until 1966 when it was promoted to the four-star level of Air Chief Marshal. The Cabinet Appointments Committee is in charge of making appointments to the position (ACC). The CAS leaves office after three years or when he or she reaches the age of 62, whichever comes first.

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FAQs

Who is the current Chief of Air Staff?

Vivek Ram Chaudhari is the incumbent chief of Air Marshal. He took over the office on Sep 30, 2021.

Who was the first Indian chief of the Indian Air Staff?

Subroto Mukherjee was the first Indian Chief of the Air Staff. His tenure lasted one year, from April 1, 1954, to March 31, 1955.

Who was given the title "Marshal of the Indian Air Force"?

In 2002, Arjan Singh was appointed "Marshal of the Indian Air Force" for his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Who is Marshal VR Chaudhari?

Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM AVSM VM ADC is an Indian Air Force officer. He is currently the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). On September 30, 2021, he took over as the 27th CAS, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.

Who is the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force in 2022?

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 15 January 1963) is an Indian Air Force officer. He is now the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, succeeding Vivek Ram Chaudhari.