Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, AVSM, has been appointed as Director General Air (Operations) on August 22, 2016. Commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a figher pilot in December 1981, he has over 2,600 hours of operational flying on MiG-21, MiG-29 and other variants of aircraft in IAF inventory, including helicopters. He has served as Directing Staff at Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and as a Flying Inspector in the Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI). He was deputed as Defence Attaché in the Embassy of India at Bangkok, Thiland, from 2006 to 2009.

He commanded 45 Squadron – ‘The Flying Dagger’ – as a Wing Commander and as a Group Captain he was ADDC Cdr and Station Commander at 33 SU – ‘The Scanners’. As an Air Commodore he commanded Air Force Station Adampur in Punjab and as Air Vice Marshal he was Air Defence Commander at Headquarters of Western Air Command as well as Easter Air Command.

He is a meritorious graduate of TACDE, Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College, He is also master of philosophy in defence and strategic studies.

In recognition of his meritorious service he was commended by the AOC-in-C in 1997 and was awarded Ati Vishist Seva Medal on January 26, 2011, by the President of India. He is married to Mrs Baljeet Arora and have two sons. His interests include reading, music and travelling.