Dilbagh Singh

Dilbagh Singh
12th Indian Ambassador to Brazil
In office
August 1985 – August 1987
Appointed byPresident of India (then, Zail Singh)
Preceded byS.S. Nath
Succeeded byA.R. Kakodar
25th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
In office
31 July 1983 – 3 September 1984
PresidentZail Singh
Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi
Preceded byK. V. Krishna Rao
Succeeded byOscar Stanley Dawson
11th Chief of the Air Staff (India)
In office
1 September 1981 – 3 September 1984
PresidentNeelam Sanjiva Reddy
Zail Singh
Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi
Preceded byIdris Hasan Latif
Succeeded byLakshman Madhav Katre
Personal details
Born10 March 1926
Rahon, Jalandhar district, Punjab
Died9 February 2001(2001-02-09) (aged 74)
Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Military service
Allegiance British India (1945–1947)
 India (from 1947)
Branch/service Royal Indian Air Force (1945–1947)
 Indian Air Force (1947–1984)
Years of service1945-1984
Rank Air Chief Marshal
UnitNo. 1 Squadron
CommandsEastern Air Command
Ambala Air Force Station
28 Squadron[1]
Battles/warsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Operation Lal Dora
Award(s)

Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VM (10 March 1926 – 9 February 2001) was the head of the Indian Air Force from 1981 to 1984,[2] as Chief of the Air Staff. He was the second Sikh to hold that position.[citation needed]

Dilbagh Singh was commissioned as a pilot in 1944.[3] His operational flying career spanned the Spitfire to introducing the MiG-21 into service in India. He had earlier made the first official "supersonic bang" over India in New Delhi when the Mystere IV-A was showcased in a public demonstration.

He was India's ambassador to Brazil from 1985 to 1987. He was a student of pandit Buta Ram of Rahon. His visit to Rahon to visit his teacher when he was Air Marshal is still remembered. He inspired scores of youngsters from Rahon and Nawanshahar region to join defense forces

  1. ^ "Air Marshal Kumaria Visits Air Force Station Chandigarh To Felicitate its 50 Golden Years". 1 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Dilbagh Singh". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  3. ^ "rediff.com: Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh no more". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.