Chief of the Air Staff (India)
Chief of the Air Staff is the professional head and the commander of the Indian Air Force.[3] The position is abbreviated as CAS in the Indian Air Force cables and communication, and is always held by the highest-ranking air officer, an Air Chief Marshal. The current CAS is Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria who took office on 30 September 2019, following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.[4]
Chief of the Air Staff | |
---|---|
Flag of the Chief of the Air Staff | |
Abbreviation | CAS |
Member of | National Security Council |
Seat | Central Secretariat |
Appointer | Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) The Chief of the Air Staff is usually the senior-most Indian Air Force officer of the senior most batch. The appointee for the office is approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister, based on appointee's ability and strong confidence with Prime Minister. |
Term length | 3 years or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier. |
Constituting instrument | Air Force Act, 1950 (Act No. 45 of 1950) |
Precursor | Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force |
Formation | 1 April 1955 |
First holder | Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee |
Deputy | Vice Chief of Air Staff |
Salary | ₹250,000 (US$3,600) monthly[1][2] |
Website | Official website |
The position was held by an Air Commodore (1919–1923), by an Air Vice-Marshal (1923–1929) and by an Air Marshal (1929–1965). In 1966, the position was upgraded to that of an Air Chief Marshal. The highest rank in the India's IAF is Marshal of the Air Force, which is conferred by the President of India only in exceptional circumstances. It has only been given once in January 2002 to Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh. This is a five-star rank and is equivalent to a Field Marshal in the Army and Admiral of the Fleet in the Navy.
List
Commander, Indian Group (1919 to 1920)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom Webb-Bowen CB, CMG (1879–1956) | Air Commodore20 September 1919 | 27 January 1920 | 129 days |
Air Officer Commanding RAF, India (1920–1938)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom Webb-Bowen CB, CMG (1879–1956) | Air Commodore27 January 1920 | 31 December 1922 | 2 years, 338 days | |
2 | Philip Game CB, DSO (1876–1961) | Air Vice-Marshal31 December 1922 | 5 November 1923 | 309 days | |
3 | Sir Edward Leonard Ellington KCB, CMG, CBE (1877–1967) | Marshal of the Royal Air Force5 November 1923 | 27 December 1926 | 3 years, 52 days | |
4 | Sir Geoffrey Salmond KCB, KCMG, DSO (1878–1933) | Air Chief Marshal27 December 1926 | 6 February 1931 | 4 years, 41 days | |
5 | Sir John Miles Steel KCB, KBE, CMG (1877–1965) | Air Chief Marshal6 February 1931 | 2 March 1935 | 4 years, 24 days | |
6 | Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt KCB, CMG, DSO, MC (1886–1973) | Air Chief Marshal2 March 1935 | 29 September 1937 | 2 years, 211 days | |
7 | Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté KCB, CMG, DSO (1886–1973) | Air Chief Marshal29 September 1937 | 27 December 1938 | 1 year, 89 days |
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Forces in India (1938–1947)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté KCB, CMG, DSO (1886–1973) | Air Chief Marshal27 December 1938 | 6 October 1939 | 283 days | [5] | |
2 | Sir John Higgins KCB, KBE, DSO, AFC (1875–1948) | Air Marshal6 October 1939 | 26 September 1940 | 356 days | — | |
3 | Sir Patrick Playfair KCB, CB, CVO, MC (1889–1974) | Air Marshal26 September 1940 | 6 March 1942 | 1 year, 161 days | — | |
4 | Sir Richard Peirse KCB, DSO, AFC (1892–1970) | Air Chief Marshal6 March 1942 | 27 April 1943 | 1 year, 52 days | — | |
5 | Sir Guy Garrod KCB, OBE, MC, DFC (1891–1965) | Air Chief Marshal27 April 1943 | 8 March 1944 | 316 days | — | |
6 | Meredith Thomas CSI, CBE, DFC, AFC (1892–1984) | Air Vice-Marshal8 March 1944 | 1 April 1946 | 2 years, 24 days | — | |
7 | Sir Roderick Carr KBE, CB, DFC, AFC (1891–1971) | Air Marshal1 April 1946 | 22 November 1946 | 235 days | — | |
8 | Sir Hugh Walmsley KCIE, CBE, MC, DFC (1898–1985) | Air Marshal22 November 1946 | 15 August 1947 | 252 days | — |
(On 15 August 1947, the unified RIAF was separated into the Royal Indian Air Force and the Royal Pakistan Air Force)
The following tables chronicle the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Air Staff or its preceding positions since the independence of India.[6]
(**Seconded from the Royal Air Force)
Air Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force (1947–1948)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Thomas Elmhirst KBE, CB, AFC (1895–1982) [lower-alpha 1] | Air Marshal15 August 1947 | 21 June 1948 | 311 days |
Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force (1948–1950)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Thomas Elmhirst KBE, CB, AFC (1895–1982) [lower-alpha 1] | Air Marshal21 June 1948 | 25 January 1950 | 1 year, 218 days |
Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force (1950–1955)
No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Thomas Elmhirst KBE, CB, AFC (1895–1982) [lower-alpha 1][7] | Air Marshal26 January 1950 | 23 February 1950 | 28 days | |
2 | Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman KBE, GCB, CB, DFC, AFC (1899–1978) [lower-alpha 1] | Air Chief Marshal23 February 1950 | 9 December 1951 | 1 year, 289 days | |
3 | Gerald Gibbs CIE, CBE, MC & Two Bars (1896–1992) [lower-alpha 1] | Air Marshal10 December 1951 | 31 March 1954 | 2 years, 111 days | |
4 | Subroto Mukerjee OBE (1911–1960) | Air Marshal1 April 1954 | 31 March 1955 | 1 year, 0 days |
Chief of the Air Staff (1955–present)
No. | Picture | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | Subroto Mukerjee OBE (1911–1960) | Air Marshal1 April 1955 | 8 November 1960 † | 5 years, 221 days | |
5 | Aspy Engineer DFC (1912–2002) | Air Marshal1 December 1960 | 31 July 1964 | 3 years, 243 days | |
6 | Arjan Singh DFC (1919–2017) | Air Chief Marshal1 August 1964 | 15 July 1969 | 4 years, 348 days | |
7 | Pratap Chandra Lal DFC (1916–1982) | Air Chief Marshal16 July 1969 | 15 January 1973 | 3 years, 184 days | |
8 | Om Prakash Mehra PVSM (1919–2015) | Air Chief Marshal16 January 1973 | 31 January 1976 | 3 years, 15 days | |
9 | Hrushikesh Moolgavkar PVSM, MVC (1920–2015) | Air Chief Marshal1 February 1976 | 30 August 1978 | 2 years, 241 days | |
10 | Idris Hasan Latif PVSM (1923–2018) | Air Chief Marshal1 September 1978 | 30 August 1981 | 3 years, 29 days | |
11 | Dilbagh Singh PVSM, AVSM, VM (1926–2001) | Air Chief Marshal1 September 1981 | 3 September 1984 | 3 years, 2 days | |
12 | Lakshman Madhav Katre PVSM, AVSM (1926–1985) | Air Chief Marshal3 September 1984 | 1 July 1985 † | 301 days | |
13 | Denis La Fontaine PVSM, AVSM, VSM (1929–2011) | Air Chief Marshal3 July 1985 | 31 July 1988 | 3 years, 28 days | |
14 | Surinder Mehra PVSM (1932–2003) | Air Chief Marshal1 August 1988 | 31 July 1991 | 2 years, 364 days | |
15 | Nirmal Chandra Suri PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 1933) | Air Chief Marshal31 July 1991 | 31 July 1993 | 2 years, 0 days | |
16 | Swaroop Krishna Kaul PVSM, MVC (born 1935) | Air Chief Marshal1 August 1993 | 31 December 1995 | 2 years, 152 days | |
17 | Satish Sareen PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1939) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 1995 | 31 December 1998 | 3 years, 0 days | |
18 | Anil Yashwant Tipnis PVSM, AVSM (born 1940) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 1998 | 31 December 2001 | 3 years, 0 days | |
19 | Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM (born 1943) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 2001 | 31 December 2004 | 3 years, 0 days | |
20 | Shashindra Pal Tyagi PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC (born 1945) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 2004 | 31 March 2007 | 2 years, 90 days | |
21 | Fali Homi Major PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC (born 1947) | Air Chief Marshal31 March 2007 | 31 May 2009 | 2 years, 61 days | |
22 | Pradeep Vasant Naik PVSM, VSM, ADC (born 1949) | Air Chief Marshal31 May 2009 | 31 July 2011 | 2 years, 61 days | |
23 | Norman Anil Kumar Browne PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC (born 1951) | Air Chief Marshal31 July 2011 | 31 December 2013 | 2 years, 153 days | |
24 | Arup Raha PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC (born 1954) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 2013 | 31 December 2016 | 3 years, 0 days | |
25 | Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC (born 1957) | Air Chief Marshal31 December 2016 | 30 September 2019 | 2 years, 273 days | |
26 | Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC | Air Chief Marshal30 September 2019 | Incumbent | 70 days |
Marshal of the Air Force
Only once has this rank ever been given:
- Arjan Singh – Marshal of the Air Force in January 2002 (the highest rank ever given in the history of the Indian Air force). It is equal to a five star General or a Field Marshal in the Army and Admiral of the Fleet in the Navy.
See also
Notes
- Seconded from the Royal Air Force
References
- "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- "Ex-Chiefs Gallery". Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- @IAF_MCC (30 September 2019). "Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, took over as 26th Chief of the Indian Air Force today. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF in Jun 1980" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Chiefs of the Indian Air Force 1931 to 1947 Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Chiefs of Air Staff". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- Chiefs of the Indian Air Force 1947 to Present Archived 26 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- "Chief of The Air Staff". Indian Air Force. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2014.