Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, 98, died after suffering a cardiac arrest today.

He was India's oldest serving officer. Singh was admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi earlier today after he suffered a stroke.

In 2002, when Singh was made Marshal of the Air Force, he held the highest rank ever rewarded to an officer in the Indian Air Force.

The Marshal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his leadership during the war.

Singh flew over 60 aircraft and remained a flyer until the end of his career with the IAF.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid visit to the Marshal earlier today.

Following Singh's demise, several political leaders expressed grief over the loss.

Sad at demise of a great air warrior & Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh. Condolences to his family & IAF community 1/2 #PresidentKovind pic.twitter.com/j1Tlw2GWsI - President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 16, 2017

LEGACY OF COURAGE

Singh was born in 1919 in Lyalpur, which is now in Faisalabad province of Pakistan. He joined the Royal Indian Air Force when he was 19 years old.

He led his squadron against the Japanese in the Arakan Campaign and in the Imphal Campaign, he flew Close Air Support Missions.

He then moved on to fight in the campaign to free Rangoon. For his valour, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). On August 15, 1947, when India became independent, Singh led the fly-past of over 100 aircraft over the Red Fort.

The Marshal led the Western Air Command after independence and took charge as the Indian Air Force Chief in 1964. The IAF then, as it is now, was on the cusp of a change. While the IAF was adapting itself to modernisation and rebuilding, the 1965 war with Pakistan began.

The IAF was still largely using World War-II era fighters. The first set of Russian-made supersonic Mig-21 had just about arrived. In contrast, Pakistan had US-made modern fighter jets. Despite constraints, the IAF achieved complete air superiority, giving the ground forces the much-needed support.