Marshal of the Indian Air Force

Marshal of the Air Force is a five star Air Officer rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Air Force. Marshal of the Air Force is ranked immediately above Air Chief Marshal. It is a ceremonial or wartime rank, having been awarded only once.

Marshal of the Air Force
Marshal of the IAF rank flag
Rank Insignia of a Marshal of the Indian Air Force
Country India
Service branch Indian Air Force
AbbreviationMIAF
RankFive-star rank
Next higher rankNone
Next lower rankAir Chief Marshal
Equivalent ranksField Marshal (Indian Army)
Admiral of the fleet (Indian Navy)

Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC is the only Officer to have held this rank.[1]

Marshal of the Air Force is equivalent to Field Marshal in the Indian Army and admiral of the fleet in the Indian Navy. While the rank of admiral of the fleet has never been awarded, there have been two Field Marshals - Sam Manekshaw and K M Cariappa.

MIAF Arjan Singh in the Marshal of the Air Force's uniform

Overview

A Marshal of the Air Force receives the full pay of a four–star service chief, and is considered a serving officer until their death. They wear a full uniform on all ceremonial occasions. In addition to this, they also run an office with a secretariat.[2]

Rank holder

Arjan Singh
Main article: Arjan Singh

MIAF Arjan Singh, DFC (15 April 1919 – 16 September 2017) was the first and only Officer to be promoted to the five star rank of Marshal of the Air Force. He served as the 3rd Chief of the Air Staff from 1964 to 1969. In 1966, he became the first IAF officer to be promoted to Air Chief Marshal.[3] For his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. After retiring from the Indian Air Force, he served as a diplomat, politician and advisor to the Government of India. He was Lieutenant Governor of Delhi from 1989 to 1990.

He was conferred with the rank of the Marshal of the Air Force in a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the then President of India, K. R. Narayanan in 2002.[4]

Insignia

The badges of rank consist of four sky blue bands (each on a slightly wider navy blue band) over a sky blue band on a navy blue broad band.

A Marshal of the Indian Air Force wears gorget patches which are blue patches with five white stars.

In addition to this, the Blue Grey terrywool tunic has four sleeve stripes consisting of a broad band with four narrower bands.[5]

A Marshal carries a gold-tipped baton on formal occasions.

  • Marshal of the IAF shoulder board
  • Marshal of the IAF sleeve
  • Marshal of the IAF command flag
  • Marshal of the IAF's baton

See also

References
  1. "Marshal of The Air Force | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.
  2. "Did You Know That Only 3 People Have Been Given The Highest Ranks In The Indian Armed Forces?". Scoop Whoop. 24 February 2016. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  3. "Only Marshal of IAF, hero of 1965, Arjan Singh shaped the force". The Indian Express. 17 September 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  4. "World War II, 1965 India-Pakistan War: A look at Arjan Singh's distinguished career". Hindustan Times. 16 September 2017.
  5. "Uniform | Indian Air Force | Government of India". indianairforce.nic.in.


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