he Indian Air Force has renamed West Bengal’s Panagarh airbase as ‘Air Force Station Arjan Singh’ after the former IAF chief. “It is… the first time that we have taken a conscious decision to rename an airbase after an individual,” an officer said. Notably, Singh, having the rank of ‘Marshal of the IAF’, is the IAF’s only ‘five-star’ rank officer.
Panagarh airbase renamed in honour of Arjan Singh
The renaming of the Air Force Station was announced by Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha at a function in Delhi to mark Singhs birthday.
Addressing a simple renaming ceremony in Panagarh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command Air Marshal C Hari Kumar said, “It is a proud moment for the Indian Air Force and the state of West Bengal.”
“He is an icon and a role model. We have to work hard to ensure that the name is suitably looked after in terms of capability and performance. It is for the first time that we have taken a conscious decision to rename an airbase after an individual,” Air Marshal Kumar said.
An icon of the Indian military history, Singh, the first Indian Air Force Chief to lead a young IAF into war in 1965, was hardly 44 years of age when entrusted with the responsibility.
Air Force Station Arjan Singh in Panagarh, approximately 150 kms from Kolkata, will house the C-130J military transport aircraft, capable of carrying out special operations. These planes will be flying with the Mountain Strike Corps along areas bordering China. PTI NIK SAP SMN SC SMN