Arjan Singh Biography - Birth date, Achievements, Career, Family, Awards

Marshal Arjan Singh was born on 15 April 1919 in Lailpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan) to a distinguished military family in British India. His father's name was Kishan Singh, who worked as a radar. He served as ADC to a division commander. His mother's name was Kartar Singh, she was a homemaker. Arjan Singh's grandfather also served as Risaldar Major during 1917. Most of his family members were employed in the army.

Marshal Arjan Singh died of a heart attack on 16 September 2017 at 7:47 pm. (IST) After his death that evening, his body was returned to his home at 7A Kautilya Marg in New Delhi, where many visitors and dignitaries offered their respects, including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raksha Minister Nirmala Ketharaman, and three service chiefs. Indian Armed Forces. He was cremated with full military honors, including Indian Air Force fighter jets and helicopters, on 18 September at Berar Square, New Delhi, for a state funeral by the Government of India. The national flag was half-tilted in Delhi.

Arjan Singh completed his education in Montgomery (Abhi Sahiwal, Pakistan). He entered RAF College Cranwell in 1938 and was appointed as a pilot officer in the year 1939.

Arjan Singh started his job in the Air Force in 1939. In 1964, Arjan Singh became the first Air Chief Marshal of India. He was made the Deputy Chief of the Air Force in 1963 after the 1962 battle with China. On 1 August 1964, when the Air Force was preparing itself for new challenges, Arjan Singh as Air Marshal was given the command. Arjan Singh was the only Indian military officer with a five-star rank following the death of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in June 2008.

Over his decades of career, he flew 60 types of aircraft, including pre-World War II and post-contemporary aircraft as well as transport aircraft. Marshal Arjan Singh has been Ambassador of India to Switzerland from 1971 to 1974. Arjan Singh has been the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, the capital of the country from 1989 to 90. He served in the post for one year until December 1990. Arjan Singh is the first Air Force Chief who did not quit flying until he reached this position and continued flying till the end of his term. After retiring as Chief of the Indian Air Force for nearly five years, the second-longest tenure as Air Force Chief in history, Singh retired in July 1969, at the age of 50.

He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his important role in the 1965 war with Pakistan. In 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the Second World War Burma Campaign. The government was awarded the rank of Air Force Marshal in January 2002 for his services to the Air Force. He is the only officer of the Air Force to achieve this feat. On 14 April 2016, at an event to mark Marshall's 97th birthday, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the then Air Force Chief, announced that the Indian Air Force base at Panagar in West Bengal was renamed Air Force Station Arjan Singh Marshal's service is being done. The airbase was built by the United States Air Force in 1944 at the China Burma India Theater during World War II, the same theater that Singh served during the war.