Air Marshal Surat Singh officially took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force on Monday, according to an official announcement.
A graduate of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the IAF on December 6, 1986. Throughout his distinguished career, Air Marshal Singh has flown various fighter aircraft, including different variants of the MiG-21, MiG-29, and Su-30 MKI, and has accrued over 2,900 hours of operational flying.
His academic background includes graduating from the Command and Staff College in Australia and the National Defence College in Bangladesh. He has held several significant positions, including commanding a MiG-29 Squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), an Air Defence Node, and a fighter station.
Air Marshal Singh has also served as Director at the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI) at Air Headquarters, as well as in key roles at the South-Western Air Command, Directorate of Personnel (Officers), Directorate of Operations (Offensive), and as Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Space).
Before his current appointment, he served as the Director General of Air Operations at Air Headquarters. In recognition of his exceptional service, Air Marshal Singh has been honored with the Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2015.