Table of Contents
Indian Air Force was founded on October 8, 1932. Also, this is the fourth largest Air Force in the world. Indian Air Force was founded with the ultimate aim of securing the Indian territories by conducting aerial patrolling and assists the other armed forces from the air at the time of warfare. Rajesh Kumar Sigh Bhaduria PVSM AVSM took over the Air Chief Marshal office on September 30, 2019, and is the Indian Air Chief Marshal 2021. Here is the list of the Indian Air Chief Marshal from the time of its foundation till date and the additional details regarding this position.
The designation “Chief of Air Marshal” was the highest rank in Indian Air Force till 1966. After that Air Chief Marshal is the head of the Indian Air Force. Marshal of the Indian Air Force is the highest rank in IAF which is conferred by the President of India under special extraordinary circumstances. Chief of Air Staff of IAF serves the same position as the rank of Field marshal in the Army and Admiral of the Fleet in the Indian Navy (Chief Of Indian Navy). This is one of the most important topics that candidates should cover for State PSC examinations and UPSC examinations.
Who is the Airforce Chief of India 2021?
Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria is the current chief of Air Marshal and he appointed the officer on September 30th, 2019 and till to date.
List of Indian Air Chief Marshal (1947-2021)
1: Who was the first woman President of India?
Here is the list of Indian Air Chief Marshal from the time of Independence till date.
| Serial No | Name of Officer | Designation | Tenure in the Office |
| 1 | Sir Thomas Elmhirst | Air Marshal | 15 August 1947 – 23 February 1950 |
| 2 | Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman | Air Chief Marshal | 23 February 1950 – 9 December 1951 |
| 3 | Gerald Gibbs | Air Marshal | 10 December 1951 – 31 March 1954 |
| 4 | Subroto Mukerjee | Air Marshal | 1 April 1954 – 31 March 1955 |
| 5 | Aspy Engineer | Air Marshal | 1 December 1960 – 31 July 1964 |
| 6 | Arjan Singh | Air Chief Marshal | 1 August 1964 – 15 July 1969 |
| 7 | Pratap Chandra Lal | Air Chief Marshal | 16 July 1969 – 15 January 1973 |
| 8 | Om Prakash Mehra | Air Chief Marshal | 16 January 1973 – 31 January 1976 |
| 9 | Hrushikesh Moolgavkar | Air Chief Marshal | 1 February 1976 – 30 August 1978 |
| 10 | Idris Hasan Latif | Air Chief Marshal | 1 September 1978 – 30 August 1981 |
| 11 | Dilbagh Singh | Air Chief Marshal | 1 September 1981 – 3 September 1984 |
| 12 | Lakshman Madhav Katre | Air Chief Marshal | 3 September 1984 – 1 July 1985 |
| 13 | Denis La Fontaine | Air Chief Marshal | 3 July 1985 – 31 July 1988 |
| 14 | Surinder Mehra | Air Chief Marshal | 1 August 1988 – 31 July 1991 |
| 15 | Nirmal Chandra Suri | Air Chief Marshal | 31 July 1991 – 31 July 1993 |
| 16 | Swaroop Krishna Kaul | Air Chief Marshal | 1 August 1993 – 31 December 1995 |
| 17 | Satish Sareen | Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 1995 – 31 December 1998 |
| 18 | Anil Yashwant Tipnis | Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 1998 – 31 December 2001 |
| 19 | Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy
|
Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 2001 – 31 December 2004 |
| 20 | Shashindra Pal Tyagi | Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 2004 – 31 March 2007 |
| 21 | Fali Homi Major | Air Chief Marshal | 31 March 2007 – 31 May 2009 |
| 22 | Pradeep Vasant Naik | Air Chief Marshal | 31 May 2009 – 31 July 2011 |
| 23 | Norman Anil Kumar Browne | Air Chief Marshal | 31 July 2011 – 31 December 2013 |
| 24 | Arup Raha | Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 2013 – 31 December 2016 |
| 25 | Birender Singh Dhanoa | Air Chief Marshal | 31 December 2016 – 30 September 2019 |
| 26 | Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria | Air Chief Marshal | 30 September 2019 – Till Date |
First Indian Air Force Chief
Subroto Mukerjee OBE is the first Indian to take over the office of the Indian Air Force Chief in Independent India. He took over the office of IAF chief on April 1, 1954, and held the position of 1 year till 31st March 1955. Subrato Mukerjee is also called the “Father of Indian Air Force”.
First Marshal of Indian Air Force
The rank of Marshal of Air Force was only awarded by the President of India to an IAF chief. Arjan Singh DFC, who served the office of Air Chief Marshal from August 1, 1964, to July 15, 1969, is the only IAF chief to achieve this exceptional position. He was the chief of IAF during the Ind0-Pakisthan war of 1965 and strategically led India to victory. In honor of this, the President of India awarded him the rank of Marshal of Air Force, which is a five-star rank equal Field Marshal of the Indian Army.
What is Indian Air Chief Marshal Salary?
The heads of Indian Defence Forces recieves the highest salary package among the defense officers. Indian Air Chief Marshal reportedly recieves an annual salary of approximately $250,000 including all the other allowances and bonuses. As per the latest reports, the monthly salary of Indian Air Chief Marshal is $3500.
Sign Up for Entri classes now for a better, effective study plan. With the effective mock tests prepared by expert mentors, you will be able to crack any examination with ease. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
