On the occasion of the 97th birthday of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, the Panagarh Air Force Station in West Bengal was renamed Air Force Station Arjan Singh.
This is the first time an air base is being named after a person, in honour of the only five star officer in its history.
“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,” Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command told the media after a simple ceremony at the base on Friday.
“It is for the first time that we have taken a conscious decision to rename an airbase after an individual,” he observed.
Panagarh air base was constructed in 1944 during the Second World War and after India’s independence, played a key role in the 1965 and 1971 wars.
Arjan Singh then a Squadron Leader, commanding the No. 1 ‘Tiger’ Squadron, played a crucial role in saving Imphal against the advancing Japanese forces. This won him a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), conferred on him by the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten.
Arjan Singh served as the Air Force chief between 1964-69 and was the first Air Chief to be elevated to the rank of Air Chief Marshal on January 16, 1966.
In recognition of his lifelong services, the government conferred on him the rank of the “Marshal of the Indian Air Force” on January 28, 2002.
The air base is set for a major makeover with a new hanger and associated facilities as it will host six new C-130J Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft, the 87 squadron, from August next year.
