Sometime towards the end of Air Chief Marshal SK Sareen’s tenure around 1998, the Indian Air Force introduced a new pattern collar tabs for Air Officer Ranks. Starting with the rank of Air Commodore, all the officers would wear ‘Star’ pattern Collar tabs that would denote their rank. This practice has now been emulated by the Army in 2004.
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The only person to wear the ‘Marshal of the Air Force’ rank and the equivalent 5-Star Collar Tab is Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh who was conferred the title in 2002. |
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Air Chief Marshal Anil Yeshwant Tipnis wearing the Collar Tabs with ‘Four Stars’. |
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Collar Tabs for Air Marshal holding an AOC-in-C or VCAS level appointment. |
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Collar Tabs for Air Marshal Rank. Unlike the army, the airforce initially did not distinguish between the tabs of an C-in-C rank officer and that of a newly promoted Air Marshal. But later introduced tabs that included the wreath. |
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Collar Tabs for Air Vice Marshal |
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Collar Tabs for Air Commodore |
Acknowledgements: Air Marshal Subhash Bhojwani for the C-in-C Tabs