UPDATE: Air Marshal Arjan Singh Passes away on 16th Sep 2017.
The IAF renamed West Bengal’s Panagarh air base as ‘Air Force Station Arjan Singh’ to honour India’s only living five-star military officer. It came on the occasion of 97th birthday of Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh.
The renaming of the Air Force Station was announced by Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha on the eve of 14th April at a function in Delhi to mark Arjan Singh’s birthday, which was on 15th April.
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Here is more about this advancement:
- This is for the first time that IAF have taken a conscious decision to rename an airbase after an individual who is an icon and a role model to every air warrior.
- The airbase comes under the control of Eastern Air Command. The chief of Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar unveiled the new name to the air force station on Arjan Singh’s birthday.
- Located in Burdwan, 112 km from Kolkata, it is now set to be IAF’s second C-130J Super Hercules hub. The first being Hindon airbase, New Delhi.
- Air Force Station Arjan Singh will house the C-130J military transport aircraft from April 2017 onwards, capable of carrying out special operations. These planes will be flying with the Mountain Strike Corps along areas bordering China. The new 87squadron will start operations from the middle of August 2017.
- Constructed during the Second World War by the Allied forces, Air Force Station Arjan Singh played a key role as part of their China-Burma-India campaign.
- The base also played a significant role in 1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan. During the 1971 war, it was again activated and hosted two fighter squadrons of the Sukhoi-7 and the MiG-21 aircraft.
- Panagarh is important because of its strategic and locational capabilities as it is in the hinterland and not close to the border. IAF’s assets can be kept here and in case of any contingency, the forces can be mobilised in any direction from this base.
It may be recalled that Arjan Singh was the IAF chief from August 1964-69, leading India through many wars including the 1965 Indo-Pak war. In recognition of the lifelong services of Arjan Singh, the government of India conferred the rank of the Marshal of the Air Force on Arjan Singh in January 2002, making him the first and the only five-star officer in the IAF.
He has been a role model to the soldiers throughout the country and continues to be an inspiration for many generations to come. SSBCrack salutes the sacrifices and services made by the Marshal of Air Force.
