On 01 February 2026, Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, IAF. He is a National Defence Academy alumnus commissioned into the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 11 June 1988. He is qualified on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar, and Su-30 MKI, with over 3200 hours of accident/incident-free flying. He has commanded a MiG-27 Squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), and was Air Officer Commanding of a frontline base. He is a Fighter Strike Leader, an Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner (IRIE), and has completed the Advance Command & Staff Course in the UK and the National Defence College in Bangladesh. He served as the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Japan and South Korea and was Air Commodore, Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air HQ, and Air Defence Commander, HQ WAC. Prior to becoming AOC-in-C, EAC, he was Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ EAC. He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2008 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018. Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who retired on 31 January 2026, after 39 years of service. This information was released by PIB Delhi on 01 FEB 2026 at 2:25 PM, release ID: 2221521. Visitor counter: 16168.
Key Entities Referenced
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command: Position assumed by Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia.
Ministry of Defence: The ministry under which this appointment falls.
Indian Air Force: The Air Force where Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia serves.
Air HQ: Air Headquarters where the Air Marshal held prior positions.
Ministry of Defence
AIR MARSHAL INDERPAL SINGH WALIA TAKES
OVER AS AIR OFFICER COMMANDING-IN-
CHIEF EASTERN AIR COMMAND
प्रव तथ: 01 FEB 2026 2:25PM by PIB Delhi
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief,
Eastern Air Command, IAF on 01 February 2026. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and
was commissioned in the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 11 June 1988.
The Air Officer is qualified on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30
MKI. He has over 3200 hrs of accident/ incident-free flying. In a career spanning over three decades, the
Air Officer has tenanted various Command and Staff appointments. He has commanded a MiG-27
Squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and was Air Officer
Commanding of a frontline base. He is a Fighter Strike Leader, an Instrument Rating Instructor &
Examiner (IRIE), has undergone the Advance Command & Staff Course in the UK and the National
Defence College in Bangladesh. He has served as the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Japan and South
Korea. He tenanted the appointment of Air Commodore, Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), the
Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air HQ and Air Defence Commander, HQ WAC. Prior to taking
over as AOC-in-C, EAC, he was Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ EAC.
In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2008 and
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018.
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on 31
January 2026, after 39 years of distinguished and devoted service to the nation.***
VK/JS/AS
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2221521) आगंतुक पटल : 16168
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