Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh was born on April 14 April 1919, in Pakistan's Faisalabad (which was then Lyallpur, Punjab) to a military family. Arjan Singh was to become the first member of his family to become a commissioned officer. Singh joined a still-new Indian Air Force in 1938 at the young age of 19.
A year later, he was commissioned from England's Royal Air Force College Cranwell. This officer has completed many operational missions involving flights over difficult country, often in bad weather. He has displayed outstanding leadership, great skill and courage, qualities which have been reflected in the high morale and efficiency of the squadron which has won much success. Arjan Singh is particularly remembered for his operational tenures on the Burma Front during World War II.
For his performance, Singh became the first Indian pilot to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) by the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia. He was described as "a fearless and exceptional pilot". After India became a republic in 1950, Arjan Singh held the command of Indian Air Force's Operational Group till December 1952, and then again from December 1955 to April 1959.
Post India's independence, Singh was sent to RAF Staff College - Blackwell, Joint Services Staff College, and London's Imperial Defence College, to take a number of courses in military academies. In August 1964, Arjan Singh took charge as the IAF's third Indian Chief of Air Staff at the age of 45. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1965 for his contributions in the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
Arjan Singh had suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died on 16 September 2017 at Army Hospital, Research and Referral, in New Delhi. Accorded a state funeral by the Indian government, he was cremated at Brar Square in New Delhi on 18 September with full military honours, including a military flypast by IAF fighter jets and helicopters.