Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, was a senior air officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the 3rd Chief of the Air Staff from 1964 to 1969, leading the Air Force through the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was the first and only officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be promoted to five-star rank as Marshal of the Indian Air Force, equal to the army rank of Field Marshal.
Arjan Singh as a Flight Lieutenant with a group Indian pilots from No.1 Squadron standing by a Hawker Hurricane IIc. L to R : Ibrahim, Homi Ratnagar, Arjan Singh, Henry and Murcot. World War II.
Officers of No. 1 Squadron IAF sit down to tiffin in their mess at Imphal Main, India. At lower right sits the CO Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh. Next to him is Flt Lt R Rajaram.
CO No.1 Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh, DFC being presented with a Japanese Sword by GOC 20 Div Maj Gen D D Gracey, OBE
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.
A Westland Wapiti, one of the first aircraft of the Indian Air Force
An IAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber over the Deccan plateau in the early 1950s
HAL HF-24 Maruts flying in formation. These were the first indigenous fighter jet to enter service with the IAF