An experienced fighter and test pilot has been named as the new head of the Indian air force.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh took over as chief of the air staff on 30 September, according to India’s defence ministry.
Singh was commissioned into the air force in 1984 and he has served in several leadership roles during his career.
Specific roles have included commanding a squadron of RAC MiG-27s and leading the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow.
As project director of flight tests at the National Flight Test Centre, Singh oversaw flight testing of the Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas fighter.
A qualified experimental test pilot, Singh has over 5,000h of flying on both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
“It is important that the [Indian air force] remains operationally capable, ever vigilant and a credible deterrence,” says Singh.
Singh will head the Indian air force at a pivotal time, as it anticipates the belated introduction of the first Tejas Mk-1A in 2025, while it also continues its search to obtain fighters abroad.
In addition, the air force’s air transport fleet is being overhauled, with the introduction of the Airbus Defence & Space C295 tactical transport.
Moreover, the air force has urgent requirements in areas such as airborne early warning and control and air-to-air refuelling.
Security concerns about an increasingly aggressive China have added urgency to India’s air force modernisation.
