Meet Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh: India's Next Chief of the Air Staff

The Government of India has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh as the next Chief of the Air Staff. He is currently the Vice Chief of the Air Staff and will be promoted to Air Chief Marshal on 30 September 2024.

Air Marshal AP Singh will succeed Air Head Marshal VR Chaudhari, who is retiring after three years in the role, according to a government announcement made on September 21.

Who is Amar Preet Singh?

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh was born on 27 October 1964 and joined the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in December 1984. In his nearly 40-year career, he has taken on many key roles, including command, staff, training, and overseas positions.

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Amar Preet Singh’s Career

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh is a National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, and National Defence College graduate. He is a qualified flying instructor and an experienced test pilot with over 5,000 flying hours on both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

Throughout his career, Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh has commanded both an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air base. As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 upgrade project in Moscow, Russia.

He also served as Project Director at the National Flight Test Centre, responsible for testing the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas. 

In addition, he held key staff roles, including Air Defence Commander at South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at Eastern Air Command. Before becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.

Amar Preet Singh: Important Roles

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh led the recently concluded 'Tarang Shakti,' the largest multilateral air exercise. As the Deputy Chief of the Indian Air Force, he has been a key figure in promoting self-reliance in defense while also addressing the challenges faced by the service.

He also played an important role in testing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. As Project Director at the National Flight Test Center, he was responsible for overseeing the flight tests of the Tejas aircraft.

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