Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Lakshman Madhav Katre,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

, AVSM

and Bar A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on th ...

(1926-1985) was the head of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

from 1984 to 1985, as Chief of the Air Staff —and the second IAF Chief of Staff to die in— harness. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal 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 ...

and Bar. He completed his schooling from

The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a selective all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer from Calcutta, who prevised a school mode ...

, Dehradun, India. In his career in the lAF, he has commanded with distinction Operational Squadrons and Squadrons and stations and the Air Force Academy. During 1971 war he successfully conducted uninterrupted operations from one of the most forward airfields and one, which was regularly attacked by the PAF. This was due to his meticulous planning. As the Commandant of the Air Force Academy at

Dundigal Dundigal, officially Dundigal Gandimaisamma, is a city and a municipality in Medchal-Malkajgiri district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the mandal headquarters of Dundigal mandal in Malkajgiri revenue division of Medchal-Malkajgiri dis ...

, he expanded the facilities to cater for the training of Ground duty officers. Flying activity at the base was successfully reoriented for advance training on jet aircraft and safety record achieved during his tenure. On completion of 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 level ...

Course in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1976, he was appointed Senior Air Staff officer of a major Air Command. Under his direction, the operational effectiveness of the forces in the command increased manifold. With his wide experience of fighter flying he was able to conduct various air exercises which simulated realistic battle conditions. The Katre House in

The Air Force School The Air Force School (TAFS), formerly known as Air Force Central School (AFCS), was set up primarily to provide education to the children of Indian Air Force personnel. It was founded in 1955 by the Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, the Chief of ...

( Subroto Park) has been named after him. He died suddenly while in service, on 01 July 1985.

Military Honours and Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katre, Lakshman The Doon School alumni Indian aviators Chiefs of Air Staff (India) Indian Air Force air marshals Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal 1926 births 1985 deaths Indian Air Force officers Commandants of the Indian Air Force Academy