Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh is new chief of air staff

Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, a fighter pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience, will take charge as the chief of the Indian Air Force after incumbent Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari retires on September 30.

Air Marshal Singh is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

"The government has appointed Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff, in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of September 30," the defence ministry said.

As Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Singh's priorities are expected to be the procurement of new fighter fleets and advancing the modernisation agenda of the force in of the fast-evolving regional security landscape, including challenges along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

The number of the IAF's fighter squadrons has come down to around 30 as against the authorised strength of at least 42.

The air warrior played a key role in the IAF's hosting of the multinational wargame 'Tarang Shakti' recently.

Known as a fine strategist, Air Marshal Singh, in a message to the DRDO and other agencies apparently over delays in delivery of Tejas jets and other military systems, said publicly at an event in July that self-reliance in defence cannot be at the cost of national security.

Born on October 27, 1964, Air Marshal Singh was commissioned into the fighter pilot stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1984.

In his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional and foreign appointments.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College, the air officer is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience on a variety of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

The officer has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air base.

As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow.

He was also the project director (flight test) at the National Flight Test Centre and was tasked with flight testing of the light combat aircraft, Tejas.

Air Marshal Singh has held important staff appointments of Air Defence Commander at the South Western Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at the Eastern Air Command.

Prior to assuming the charge of Vice Chief of the Air Staff in February last year, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command.

The air marshal is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.