Eastern Air Command gets new leader as Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal takes charge

Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal, AVSM VM, took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, IAF, on 01 Nov 2026. He has a distinguished career in the IAF, with over 3200 hours of flying experience and various appointments, including as a fighter pilot, Commanding Officer, and Director General (Weapon Systems).

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Quick Revision

Prelims-testable facts

01Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal AVSM, VM was commissioned in the flying branch of IAF as a fighter pilot on 14 Jun 1989.
02He has a flying experience of over 3200 hrs on a number of fighter aircraft.
03Air Marshal Deswal is a specialist in strike aircraft and Air Defence roles and a qualified Pilot Attack Instructor.
04He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), and National Defence College.
05Air Marshal Deswal has been awarded with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.
06He took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, IAF on 01 Nov 26.
07Prior to taking over as AOC in-C, EAC, the air officer held the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at HO SWAC.

Trap alerts

Most people think Air Marshal Deswal was posted at the Embassy of India in Pakistan as the Air Attaché, but actually it is not mentioned in the article what he was posted as.
Most people think Air Marshal Deswal has a flying experience of over 3200 hrs on a single aircraft, but actually it is on a number of aircraft.

Prelims Practice MCQs

Single facteasy

When did Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal assume the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command?

A.01 Nov 2025
B.01 Nov 2026
C.01 Nov 2027
D.01 Jan 2026

Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, on 01 Nov 2026. This is a significant date in the career of the Air Marshal.

Multiple statementsmedium

Consider the following statements regarding Air Marshal Deswal's Career: 1. He was commissioned as a fighter pilot in 1988. 2. He has a flying experience of over 3000 hours. 3. He was the Air Officer Commanding of two flying bases. How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None

Statement 1 is false because the fact list states he was commissioned in 1989, not 1988. Statement 2 is true because the fact list states he has a flying experience of over 3200 hours. Statement 3 is true because the fact list states he was the Air Officer Commanding of two flying bases.

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