Air Chief Marshal Swaroop Krishna Kaul, PVSM, MVC, ADC (20 December 1935 – 19 February 2025) was Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. Kaul served as the Air Chief from 1993 to 1995.
Background
Swaroop Krishna Kaul was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 20 December 1935, into a Kashmiri Pandit family, to K K Kaul. He did his schooling from Besant college in Varanasi and his graduation from Government College, Allahabad in 1951.
Career
thumb|Air Chief Marshal S.K. Kaul, Chief of the Air Staff pays farewell call on the President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi
Kaul joined the National Defence Academy in 1951 and was commissioned in the IAF on 17 July 1954
As Commanding Officer of 37 Squadron, he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest war-time military decoration in India.
After Commanding the Central Air Command and the Western Air Command, Kaul took over as the 16th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.
In November 1994, Kaul was appointed as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He retired from the Air Force in December 1995.
Awards
Kaul was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra