Chief of the Air Staff (India)


Chief of the Air Staff is the professional head and the commander of the Indian Air Force. The position is abbreviated as CAS in the Indian Air Force cables and communication, and is always held by a full Air Chief Marshal since 1966.
The current CAS is Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria who took office on 30 September 2019, following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.

Office of the Chief of Air Staff

At Independence, the head of the Air Force designated as the "Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force". On 1 March 1948, the title of "Chief of the Air Staff" was added, with a further re-designation to "Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force" on 21 June to maintain uniformity across the three armed services.
The "Royal" designation was dropped when India became a republic on 26 January 1950. Thus re-designating the head of IAF to "Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force".
The Commanders-In-Chief Act, 1955 re-designated the head of IAF to "Chief of Air Staff". The position was held by a three-star ranked Air Marshal until 1966, when the position was upgraded to the four-star rank of an Air Chief Marshal.
Appointments to the office are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The CAS reaches superannuation upon three years in the office or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

Appointees

The following tables chronicle the appointees to the office of the Chief of the Air Staff or its preceding positions since the independence of India.

Air Marshal Commanding, Royal Indian Air Force (1947–1948)

Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Air Force (1948–1950)

Chief of the Air Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force (1950–1955)

Chief of the Air Staff (1955–present)