Harjit Singh Arora
Harjit Singh Arora | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| 43rd Vice Chief of the Air Staff | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 25, 1961 |
| Spouse | Baljeet Arora |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | December 1981 - Present |
| Rank |  Air Marshal |
| Commands | Vice Chief of the Air Staff South Western Air Command Director General Air Operations Director General of Inspection and Safety |
| Service number | 16557[1] |
| Awards |  Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal |
Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora PVSM, AVSM, ADC is the current Vice Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and assumed office on 1 October 2019, succeeding Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.[2][3]
Early life and education
Arora is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He is a graduate from the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment in Gwalior. He also has an M. Phil. in defence and strategic studies.
Career
Arora was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force in December 1981. He has flying experience of over 2600 hours on Mig-21, Mig-29, and also helicopters.[4]
Arora has commanded a Mig-21 squadron and then Air Defence Direction Center as a Group Captain in the south western sector. He has also commanded 45 Squadron as a wing commander. He has held other posts including air officer commanding of the Adampur Air Force Station, air defence commander at Western Air Command Headquarters, air defence commander at Eastern Air Command Headquarters, directing staff at Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and as a flying inspector in the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection. He also served as a defence attaché at the Indian embassy at Bangkok from 2006 to 2009.[4][5]
Arora served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command from 30 September 2018 after superannuation of Air Marshal Ravinder Kumar Dhir, to 30 September 2019. He was succeeded by Air Marshal Surendra Kumar Ghotia.[5][6][7][8]
He was appointed as the Vice Chief of Air Staff on 28 September 2019 following elevation of Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhaduria as Chief of Air Staff.[9]
Honours and decorations
In his career of over 38 years, Arora has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2011 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2020.[1][10]
|
|
| Param Vishisht Seva Medal | Ati Vishisht Seva Medal |
Personal life
Arora is married to Baljeet; the couple have two sons.[4]
References
- ^ a b "440 Republic Day Gallantry and other Defence Decorations Announced" (Press release). 25 January 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ @IAF_MCC (2019-10-01). "Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff today. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF in Dec 1981. He has a vast experience of operational flying on modern and legacy fighters in the IAF inventory" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora AVSM ADC assumes charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff". 2019-10-01.
- ^ a b c "Air Marshal HS Arora AVSM Takes Over as Director General Air (Operations)" (Press release). 26 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora AVSM takes over Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command" (Press release). 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Air Marshal Arora is South-Western Commander-in-Chief". 1 October 2018.
- ^ @DefencePRO_Guj (2019-09-30). "Air Marshal HS Arora Ati Vishist Seva Medal ADC, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, handed over command of #SouthWesternAirCommand today. He proceeds to Air HQ to take over as Vice Chief of Air Staff from 01 Oct 19" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Air Marshal HS Arora hands over command of HQ SWAC to take over as Vice Chief". 2019-09-30.
- ^ "Air Marshal HS Arora appointed as IAF Vice Chief | India News". www-timesnownews-com.cdn.ampproject.org. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
- ^ "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Awards to IAF Personnel on Republic Day - 2020". 2020-01-25.