Air Vice Marshal Chandan Singh,

MVC MVC may refer to: Science and technology * Maximum-value composite procedure, an imaging procedure * Multivariable calculus, a concept in mathematics * Multivariable control, a concept in process engineering * Mechanical vapor compression, a desal ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

, VrC (18 August 1925 – 29 March 2020) was an

Air Officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

in the Indian Air Force. A highly decorated officer, Singh was awarded the

Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards a ...

during the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

and the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

Early life

Singh was born in

Jodhpur State Kingdom of Marwar, also known as the Jodhpur State under the British, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1226 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by Rao Siha, possibly a m ...

in a

Rathore The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India. Subclans Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage This article discusses the "Kanauji ...

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

family to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Bahadur Singh,

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, who commanded the famous Jodhpur Lancers.

Military career

Early career

Singh joined the Jodhpur Lancers in 1941, following in his father's footsteps, as a Second Lieutenant. After the Independence of India, the Jodhpur Lancers was amalgamated into the

President's Bodyguard The President's Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the senior-most regiment in the order of precedence of the units of the Indian Army. The primary role of the President's Bodyguard is to escort and ...

and the 61st Cavalry. Singh, then a Captain, joined the Indian Air Force. Singh was serving in the No. 43 Squadron IAF, when in 1961, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (then called Vishisht Seva Medal Class II). He was awarded the AVSM for "devising new procedures for training and selecting new safe routes."

Vir Chakra

At the outbreak of the

, Singh was a pilot in the No. 44 Squadron IAF. He saw action in the Chip Chap area in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

, where he was awarded the third-highest war-time gallantry award, the

. The citation for the

reads as follows:

Maha Vir Chakra

Singh was promoted to the rank of Group Captain in late 1969 and took over command of the

Jorhat Air Force Station Jorhat Airport , also known as Rowriah Airport is a domestic airport serving Jorhat, Assam, India. It is located at Rowriah, which is situated 7 kilometres south-west from the city centre. History It was established in early 1950s and commonly ...

in early 1970. He commanded the Air Force base through the

. Singh planned and executed the Sylhet air-lift, when two

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

of troops of the IV Corps were air-lifted. For this operation, Singh was awarded the

, the second-highest war-time gallantry award. The citation for the

reads as follows:

Post-war career

After the war, Singh attended the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest lev ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Singh was promoted to Air Commodore in 1973 and to the rank of Air Vice Marshal in 1977. He then took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the

Central Air Command ''Nigrahya Rasava shastrava'' , colors = , colors_label = , battles = 1962 Sino-Indian War, East Pakistan Operations 1971, Operation Meghdoot, Orissa Super-Cyclone Relief, 1999 , anniversaries = , commander1 = Air Marshal Amar Preet Si ...

in Allahabad. After a three-year stint as SASO, Singh retired in 1980.

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Chandan Indian Air Force air marshals Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra Recipients of the Vir Chakra 1925 births 2020 deaths Indian Air Force officers