New Delhi, 31 October 2026 — Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, has stepped down as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force after reaching superannuation, bringing to a close a service career that ran from 21 December 1984 to 31 October 2026.
Career spanning flying, testing and command
Born on 27 October 1964 in New Delhi, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Air Force Academy (Dundigal), the Defence Services Staff College, and the National Defence College. Commissioned into the fighter stream, he became a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot, and logged more than 5,000 hours of operational flying on fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including the MiG-21, MiG-29, Su-30MKI, Tejas, and the HJT-16 Kiran.
His appointments included command of No. 22 Squadron (MiG-27), leadership of the MiG-29 Upgrade Project Management Team in Moscow, Chief Test Pilot at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, and Project Director (Flight Test) at the National Flight Test Centre of the Aeronautical Development Agency, where he contributed to flight testing of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. He also served as Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, and the 47th Vice Chief of the Air Staff from 1 February 2023 to 30 September 2024. He took charge as Chief of the Air Staff on 30 September 2024, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
Tenure as Chief of the Air Staff
During his period as CAS, he led the Indian Air Force through Operation Sindoor and continued the service’s focus on operational readiness, modernisation, and greater self-reliance in defence equipment. The article also notes that he had earlier participated in the Kargil War and Operation Parakram. He received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023.
In the days before retirement, Air Chief Marshal Singh carried out a final flying sortie on 20 October 2026 in an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 trainer — the same aircraft type in which he flew his maiden sortie on 28 January 1984 at the Air Force Academy — with his first flying instructor, Wing Commander V.S. Kochar (Retd). He described the sortie as a “dream come true” that completed the circle of his flying career. He had also flown a final fighter sortie on the indigenous Tejas during Exercise Tarang Shakti.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded him a farewell on 26 October, recognising his 42 years of service and contribution to strengthening the force’s operational capabilities. Additional farewell events were organised by Air Headquarters and senior commanders. On his final day, he was scheduled to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial and inspect a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Air Force Station, New Delhi.
Successor takes over
He is succeeded by Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, who was previously Vice Chief of the Air Staff and assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff from the afternoon of 31 October 2026.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh is married to Sarita Singh. His career reflects the path of a fighter pilot through operational flying, test work, command appointments, and senior leadership in the Indian Air Force.
