Pankaj Mohan Sinha took over as head of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command on January 1, 2023.
He graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune, and joined the IAF as a fighter pilot in 1985. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. Besides being an experienced fighter pilot, Air Marshal Sinha is also a Category ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor, Fighter Striker Leader, Instrument Rating Instructor, and Examiner.
Over the course of his career, the Air Marshal has held various command and staff appointments. These included Commanding Officer of a Fighter Squadron, Chief Instructor (Flying) at a flying station, Training Coordination Officer at Royal Air Force Valley, United Kingdom where he flew the Hawk aircraft, Principal Director Personnel Officers at Air Headquarters, Air Officer Commanding of a prestigious Air Force Station, Air Assistant to Chief of the Air Staff and Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Offensive) at Air Headquarters. He’s the Commodore Commandant of a premier fighter squadron and previously worked at Air Headquarters as Director General of Air Operations.
He’s been awarded the ‘Vishist Seva Medal and the ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal’.
Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha succeeds Air Marshal S Prabhakaran who superannuated on 31 December 2022 after putting in more than 39 years of distinguished service in the IAF.