In World War II, he commanded this squadron during the Arakan Campaign and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the Partition of India in 1947, he led the first fly-past of Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi.

In 1950, after completing the staff course at Joint Service Defence College, Latimer, Buckinghamshire, he was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore and took over the Operational Command.

In January 2002, the rank of Marshal of the Indian Air Force was conferred on Singh, the first and only officer of the IAF to receive the honour.

Singh was born on 15 April 1919 in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad),[1] a town in the erstwhile Punjab Province of British India (in present-day Pakistan), into a Punjabi Jat Sikh family of Aulakh clan.

[3] Thus, after three generations of men serving in the lower and middle ranks of the army, Singh was to become the first member of his family to become a commissioned officer.

[8] "The IAF had already extensive experience of fighting against the Pathans in the North-West Frontier Province, but I was eager to go into battle against the Japanese, then poised for an attack on eastern India, especially the Imphal-Kohima front."

He met the Commander-in-Chief, India, General (later Field Marshal) Claude Auchinleck during his visit to Kohat in the North-West Frontier Province and requested him to send the squadron to fight the Japanese.

This officer has completed very many operational missions involving flights over difficult country, often in bad weather.

He has displayed outstanding leadership, great skill and courage, qualities which have been reflected in the high morale and efficiency of the squadron which has won much success.Singh relinquished command of No.

As part of the celebrations for Independence Day on 15 August 1947, Singh, by then an acting Group Captain, led the first fly-past of RIAF aircraft over the Red Fort in Delhi.

In 1949, Singh attended the Joint Service Defence College at Latimer, Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom.

[17] On his return to India, in December 1950, Singh was promoted to acting Air Commodore and assumed command of the No.

Promoted to substantive Air Commodore, Singh again served as the AOC Operational Command, for the second time.

Singh also served as the Chef de Mission of the Indian Contingent for the 1956 Summer Olympics held at Melbourne, Australia.

[7] In May 1958, Singh was promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal and continued as the head of the Operational Command.

[22] Singh was selected to attend the Imperial Defence College and proceeded to United Kingdom in early 1960.

[25] In August 1965, as part of Operation Gibraltar, Pakistan attempted to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against Indian rule.

In September, Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam in which an armoured thrust targeted the Akhnoor and Chhamb regions in Jammu.

[27][28] On 15 January 1966, in recognition of the contribution of the IAF, the post of the CAS was upgraded to the rank of Air Chief Marshal.

In 1967, in a rare honour to a non-British Service Chief, Singh was invited to receive the salute as the reviewing officer of the passing out parade at his alma mater, the RAF College Cranwell.

[30] After heading the IAF for almost five years, the second-longest term as Chief of the Air Staff in history, Singh retired in July 1969, at the age of 50.

[31] Singh also served as the chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi from 1980 to 1983 and was a director of the Grindlays Bank from 1981 to 1988.

[41] Singh's health declined in his final years, and he frequently made references to growing old and the passing away of many of his friends.

[40] In July 2015, then aged 96 and using a wheelchair due to a temporary indisposition, he was among the many dignitaries to lay a wreath at the base of the coffin carrying the mortal remains of former President A.P.J.

[25] After his passing, his body was returned to his home at 7A Kautilya Marg in New Delhi, where numerous visitors and dignitaries offered their respects, including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Seetaraman and the three service chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces.

He had flown over 60 different types of aircraft from Pre-WWII era biplanes to Folland Gnats and de Havilland Vampires.

[47] Singh remained active and worked for the welfare of air force veterans, contributing twenty million rupees from his personal wealth to set up a trust to this end.

[48] The Air Force Sports Control Board organises an annual Marshal Arjan Singh Memorial All India Hockey Tournament.

[52] IAF and the United Services Institution of India (USI) conduct the Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Annual Lecture.