Swaroop Krishna Kaul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 16th Chief of Air Staff | |
| In office 1 August 1993 – 31 December 1995 | |
| President | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| Prime Minister | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Preceded by | Nirmal Chandra Suri |
| Succeeded by | Satish Sareen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1935-12-20)20 December 1935 |
| Died | 19 February 2025(2025-02-19) (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Besant College, Varanasi. Government College, Allahabad |
| Awards |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch/service |  Indian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1954–1995 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | Western Air Command Central Air Command 37 Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
Air Chief MarshalSwaroop Krishna Kaul,PVSM,MVC,ADC (20 December 1935 – 19 February 2025) wasChief of the Air Staff of theIndian Air Force. Kaul served as the Air Chief from 1993 to 1995.[1]
Swaroop Krishna Kaul was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 20 December 1935,[2][3] into aKashmiri Pandit family, to K K Kaul. He did his schooling from Besant college inVaranasi and his graduation from Government College,Allahabad in 1951.[1]
Kaul died on 19 February 2025, at the age of 89.[4]
Kaul joined theNational Defence Academy in 1951[5] and was commissioned in the IAF on 17 July 1954[1]
During theIndo-Pakistani war of 1971, as aWing Commander Kaul led several missions into the Pakistani held areas of East Pakistan (nowBangladesh) to photograph strategically vital areas.[6]
AsCommanding Officer of37 Squadron, he was awarded theMaha Vir Chakra, the second highest war-time military decoration in India.
After Commanding theCentral Air Command and theWestern Air Command, Kaul took over as the 16thChief of the Air Staff of theIndian Air Force.
In November 1994, Kaul was appointed as theChairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He retired from the Air Force in December 1995.[5] He had over 3,700 hours of accident free flying to his credit.[7]
Kaul was awarded theMaha Vir Chakra[3] for a show of conspicuous gallantry during the 1971 war and theParam Vishisht Seva Medal in 1992.[5]
(Effective date of award – 4 December 1971)
At the outbreak of hostilities, Wing Commander Swaroop Krishna Kaul, the Commanding Officer of a fighter bomber squadron volunteered for an urgent task to photograph certain areas which were badly needed in order to finalise our Army's assault plans. The officer carried out four missions deep into enemy territories to cover the heavily defended sectors of Comilla, Sylhet and Saidpur. At times, Wing Commander Kaul had to fly as low as 200 feet over the most heavily defended enemy locations. Undaunted, he flew through these barrages, making repeated runs in each of his missions, and successfully completed the task. On 4th December, 1971, Wing Commander Kaul again volunteered for another task, to photograph the Tezgaon and Kurmitola airfields. His reconnaissance flights over these two airfields, in the face of the most sustained and heavy enemy ground fire stand out as acts of heroism, extreme gallantry and devotion to duty. In addition to his reconnaissance exploits, Wing Commander Kaul led the very first eight aircraft strike mission over Dacca. In this raid, his formation encountered four enemy aircraft near the target area. With exemplary leadership, Wing Commander Kaul maneuvered his force in such a manner that two of the enemy aircraft were shot down and the other two fled. The target thus became clear for attack. Throughout the period of operations Wing Commander Swaroop Krishna Kaul displayed conspicuous gallantry, determination and professional skill.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee 20 November 1994 – 31 December 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of the Air Staff (India) 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| 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) |
| |
(**Seconded from theRoyal Air Force) | ||
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