Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee OBE was an Indian military officer who was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Air Force. He was awarded several honours during the course of a three-decade-long career, ended by his untimely demise in 1960. He has been called the Father of the Indian Air Force.
Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee (pictured wearing Group Captain's insignia, c. 1947)
The first batch of Indian pilots at RAF Cranwell in 1931. From left to right: Bhupendra Singh, Amarjeet Singh and Subroto Mukerjee.
Air Marshal Mukerjee saluting as the President of India, Rajendra Prasad, presents the colours to the Indian Air Force in 1954
Chief of the Air Staff (India)
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star air chief marshal, the CAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IAF, mandated with the responsibilities of supervising the force's overall functioning during states of peace and wartime, committing to the establishment-cum-continuity of air deterrence and executing India's security objectives vis-à-vis the preservation of the country's air sovereignty. Also a permanent member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and the National Security Council (NSC), the CAS also bears the responsibility of advising the nation's civilian leadership i.e., the Government of India on all matters privy to the IAF.
Chief of the Air Staff (India)
The Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi - the station of Air HQ, where the CAS is seated.
Image: Subroto Mukherjee
Image: Subroto Mukherjee