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{{short description|Chief of Staff of Indian Air Force (1920-2015)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
|image = ACM H Moolgavkar.jpg
|image_size = 220px
|caption= ACM Moolgavkar (pictured wearing Group Captain's insignia c. 1952)
|honorific_prefix = [[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]]
|name = H Moolgavkar
|honorific_suffix = [[Param Vishist Seva Medal|PVSM]], [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1920|08|15}}
|almamater =
|Callsign =
|birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] ({{small|present day [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]}})
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2015|4|09|1920|08|15}}
|death_place = [[Pune, Maharashtra]], India

|allegiance = {{flag|British India}} (1940–1947) {{flag|India}} (from 1947)
|branch = {{air force|British India}} {{air force|India}}
|rank = [[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]]
|serviceyears = 1940-1978
|commands = [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)]] (1976–1978) [[Western Air Command]] No.1 Operations Wing [[No. 10 Squadron IAF]] [[No. 6 Squadron IAF]]
|battles = [[World War II]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
|awards = {{ubl|[[Param Vishist Seva Medal]]|[[Maha Vir Chakra]]|[[Legion of Merit]]}}
}}

[[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]] '''Hrushikesh Moolgavkar''', [[Param Vishisht Seva Medal|PVSM]], [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]] (15 August 1920 – 9 April 2015) was a former [[Air officer]] in the [[Indian Air Force]]. He served as the 9th [[Chief of Air Staff (India)|Chief of the Air Staff]] of the Indian Air Force from 1 February 1976 till 31 August 1978.

==Early life and education==
Moolgavkar was born on 14 August 1920 in [[Bombay]].<ref name="JJ">{{cite web |title=Former Air Chief Marshal of IAF Hrushikesh Moolgavkar died |url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/former-air-chief-marshal-of-iaf-hrushikesh-moolgavkar-died-1428652740-1 |website=Jagranjosh.com |date=10 April 2015}}</ref> He attended the [[St. Mary's School, Mumbai]] and the [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]]. Moving to the [[United Kingdom]] for higher education, he attended the [[Malvern College]].<ref name="PIB Bio">{{cite web |title=AIR HQ APPOINTMENT |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1952-JULY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1952-06-18_143.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=18 June 1952}}</ref> He was studying there when [[World War II]] broke out.<ref name="Hindu obit">{{cite web |last1=Banerjee |first1=Shoumojit |title=Former IAF Chief Moolgavkar dead |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-iaf-chief-moolgavkar-dead/article7090057.ece |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |date=11 April 2015}}</ref>

==Military career==
===Early career===
Moolgavkar was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as an acting [[Pilot Officer]] on 30 November 1940. He joined the [[No. 1 Squadron IAF]], commanded by Squadron Leader [[Karun Krishna Majumdar]], at [[Peshawar]].<ref name="IAF Bio">{{cite web |title=Hrushikesh Moolgavkar PVSM, MVC CAS {{!}} Indian Air Force {{!}} Government of India |url=https://indianairforce.nic.in/content/hrushikesh-moolgavkar-pvsm-mvc-cas |website=indianairforce.nic.in}}</ref> He flew the [[Hawker Hart]] and the [[Westland Lysander]] aircraft. In early 1942, the squadron moved to [[Burma]] where he saw active service. In May 1942, he was promoted to the rank of [[Flying Officer]].<ref name="BR Service Record">{{cite web |title=Service Record for Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgavkar 1644 F(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/1644 |website=Bharat Rakshak |language=en-gb}}</ref> After the operations in Burma, he came back with the squadron to [[Secunderabad]] where Squadron Leader [[Subroto Mukerjee]] took command. The squadron then moved to [[Trichy]] and to [[PAF Base Kohat|RAF Station Kohat]].<ref name="BR No.1 Squadron">{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Pushpindar |title=No.1 Squadron |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/units/squadrons/1-squadron.html |website=www.bharat-rakshak.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

On 1 April 1944, Moolgavkar was promoted to the acting rank of [[Flight Lieutenant]] and transferred to [[No. 4 Squadron IAF]], commanded by Squadron Leader Geoffrey Sharp of the [[Royal Air Force]], at [[Chittagong]]. He flew the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] in [[escort fighter]] role in supply dropping missions. In January 1945, while on a sortie, the engine of his Spitfire failed. He crash landed on a beach and was stuck upside-down. Luckily, a couple of [[Commandos (United Kingdom)|British Commandos]] spotted the plane and rescued him.<ref name="IAF Bio" /> He had multiple crushed vertebrae which required surgery and he spent about six months with his back in plaster. He got back to flying soon, joining the [[No. 10 Squadron IAF]].<ref name="DNA book launch">{{cite web |last1=Chandawarkar |first1=Rahul |title=Top Gun of Pune, Hrushikesh Moolgavkar |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-top-gun-of-pune-hrushikesh-moolgavkar-1476919 |website=DNA India |language=en |date=5 December 2010}}</ref>

In January 1947, Moolgavkar was promoted to the acting rank of [[Squadron Leader]] and took command of [[No. 6 Squadron IAF]] at Kohat. After a short stint, he took command of No. 10 Squadron at [[Kanpur]]. The squadron was equipped with the [[Hawker Tempest#Tempest II|Hawker Tempest II]].<ref name="BR Service Record" /><ref name="IAF Bio" />

===Post-Independence===
During the [[partition of India]], he was commanding the squadron at Kanpur. he was in command till February 1948. In April, he attended the first course at the [[Defence Services Staff College]] in [[Wellington Cantonment|Wellington]]. The college had relocated from [[Quetta]] after the [[partition of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dssc.gov.in/dssc-history.html|title=DSSC History| publisher=DSSC }}</ref> After completing the staff course, he took command of No. 1 Operational Wing at [[Srinagar Air Force Station|Srinagar]] from Wing Commander [[Minoo Merwan Engineer]].<ref name="PIB Bio" />

===Maha Vir Chakra===
The No. 1 Operational Wing was in the thick of battle during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]]. Moolgavkar led the planning and execution of [[close air support]] during [[Operation Bison (Jammu & Kashmir 1948)|Operation Bison]] in [[Zoji La]]. He also flew sorties himself.<ref name="IAF Bio" /> For his exceptional gallantry and leadership, Moolgavkar was decorated with the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] (MVC), the second highest military decoration in India. He was among four IAF officers who were awarded the MVC during the war, the other three being Air Commodore [[Mehar Singh (pilot)|Mehar Singh]] and Wing Commanders Minoo Merwan Engineer and Sidney Basil Noronha.<ref>{{cite web |title=PRESS NOTE |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1951-JAN-DEC-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1951-12-06_233.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=6 December 1951}}</ref>
The citation for the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] reads as follows:<ref>{{cite web |title=WING COMMANDER HRUSHIKESH MOOLGAVKAR {{!}} Gallantry Awards |url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/wing-commander-hrushikesh-moolgavkar |website=gallantryawards.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mahavir Chakra (MVC), Awardee: ACM Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, MVC, PVSM (retd) @ TWDI |url=http://twdi.in/node/1425 |website=twdi.in}}</ref>
{{Quotation|Gazette Notification: 59 Pres/51,1.12.51
Operation: 1947 Indo Pak Kashmir War
Date of Award: 08 Dec 1951

{{center|'''CITATION''' 
'''WING COMMANDER HRUSHIKESH MOOLGAVKAR''' 
'''(1644) GD(P)'''}}

Wing Commander Moolgavkar commanded No. 1 Operational Wing of the IAF in Kashmir from September 1948 to May 1949. In spite of having to plan out as well as conduct operations from both Jammu and Srinagar, this officer made time to take the air whenever the more difficult and dangerous commitments had to be carried out.

In these tasks, he showed great leadership by his selfless devotion to duty and fearless readiness for offensive action against the enemy, this leader inspired great confidence in his Squadron Commanders and pilots.

The air attack on the well defended Domel bridge and the Uri and Saadabad sectors was led and directed by Wing Commander Moolgavkar personally. When the defences around Uri presented severe obstacles in the way of operational flight on that area, he evolved a plan and attacked the Uri guns in conjunction with one of his Squadron Commanders. This attack not only exposed them to the fire of the anti-aircraft guns but also brought him within the dangerous probability of their aircraft entering the “Compressibility Zones” with a risky load of bombs at high altitudes.

The final link-ups with Poonch, Kargil and Leh were established during the period he was in command of No. 1 Operational Wing. The effective support that the IAF was able to render the Army during these operations was in no small measures due to his determination, initiative and drive in planning and co-ordinating the offensive to success.|sign=|source=}}

===Post-war career===
After the war, in March 1950, he commanded a [[Detachment (military)|detachment]] of [[de Havilland Vampire]] aircraft, which were recently received by the IAF. He led the detachment touring South India and in flying demonstrations in [[Bombay]], [[Poona]], [[Bangalore]] and [[Madras]]. In October 1950, he moved to Air headquarters as Deputy Director Operations. He was promoted to the acting rank of [[Group captain (India)|Group Captain]] and appointed Director of Operations at Air HQ in May 1952. He became the first IAF officer to serve in this appointment, since the previous officers were from the RAF.<ref name="PIB Bio" /> After a two-year stint at Air HQ, he took command of [[Palam Air Force Station]] from Group Captain H N Chatterjee.<ref>{{cite web |title=IAF APPOINTMENTS |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1954%20DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1954-09-11_239.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=11 September 1954}}</ref>

In October 1954, he was a part of a team of three, consisting of Air Commodore (later [[Air Chief Marshal]]) [[Pratap Chandra Lal]] and [[Flight Lieutenant]] (later Air Commodore) Roshan Lal Suri, which went to Europe to select new aircraft for the IAF. The team rejected the [[Supermarine Swift]], and chose the [[Folland Gnat]], a decision which would hold India and the IAF in good stead during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].{{sfn|Lal|1986|p=77-79}} During this tour, he became among the first Indians to break the sound barrier.<ref name="IAF Bio" /> He was promoted substantive Group Captain on 1 April 1955.<ref name="BR Service Record" /> The 3 Wing at Palam had [[No. 7 Squadron IAF|No. 7 Squadron]] and No. 10 Squadron under it, which were equipped with the Vampires.<ref name="IAF Bio" /> After a four-year stint at Palam, he served in a staff appointment at the [[Western Air Command (India)|Operational Command]] (later Western Air Command).<ref name="BR Service Record" /> In early 1959, Moolgavkar was appointed [[Air attaché|Air advisor]] to the [[List of High Commissioners of India to the United Kingdom|High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom]] was [[Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit]] at [[India House, London]].<ref name="Rediff obit">{{cite web |title=The Air Chief Moolgavkar I knew |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/special/the-air-chief-moolgavkar-i-knew/20150410.htm |website=Rediff |language=en}}</ref>

===Air rank===
[[File:AM H Moolgavkar.jpg|thumb|right|Moolgavkar as the Commandant, National Defence College]]
Moolgavkar was promoted to the acting rank of [[Air commodore (India)|Air Commodore]] and returned to India. He subsequently took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the Operational Command. In October 1962, the [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748]] arrived in India for a tour of demonstration flights. Moolgavkar led the team for this tour.<ref>{{cite web |title=SERIES II AVRO-748 DEMONSTRATION FLIGHTS IN INDIA |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1963-OCTOBER-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1962-10-19_170.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=19 October 1962}}</ref> He moved to Air HQ in June 1963, where he served as the Air Officer-in-Charge Policy and Plans. He was promoted substantive Air Commodore on 1 April 1964. He served in this appointment for a year-and-a-half before moving to the [[Maintenance Command]] at [[Nagpur]]. He served as the Senior Air & Administration Staff Officer (SAASO) of the Command.<ref name="BR Service Record" /> Promoted to the acting rank of [[Air vice marshal (India)|Air Vice Marshal]] on 25 January 1967, he took command of the newly created HQ Western India at Pune. He was made substantive Air Vice Marshal on 1 April 1968 and appointed [[Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief]] (AOC-in-C) [[Central Air Command]] at [[Allahabad]].<ref name="BR Service Record" /> He was at the helm of the Central Air Command for three years, till March 1971.

On 1 April 1971, he was promoted to the acting rank of [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] and appointed [[Commandant of the National Defence College]] in [[New Delhi]]. He assumed the office from [[Vice Admiral (India)|Vice Admiral]] [[Sourendra Nath Kohli]] who was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) [[Western Naval Command]].<ref name="Commandant NDC">{{cite web |title=NEW COMMANDANT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE |url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1971-JAN-AUG-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1971-03-24_115.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=24 March 1971}}</ref> He was promoted substantive Air Marshal in June 1972.<ref name="BR Service Record" />

After a two-year stint at the helm of the NDC, in 1973, he took command of the [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]], the biggest command in terms of resource, as its AOC-in-C.<ref name="Rediff obit" /> In March 1975, Moolgavkar personally participated in the Western Air Command Inter-Squadron Gunnery Meet. He won the Staff Pilots Championship Trophy for firing rockets from a single-seater Hunter aircraft. As the [[Commander-in-chief]] of the command, and at the age of 55, he was the envy of many younger pilots.<ref>{{cite web |title=AIR MARSHAL MOOLGAVKAR WINS STAFF PILOT CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY|url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1975-JAN-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1975-03-21_110.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=21 March 1975}}</ref> In April, he took over as the Commodore Commandant of the squadron that he had commanded in the past - No. 10 Squadron.

===Chief of Air Staff===
In January 1976, the [[Government of India]] appointed Moolgavkar to be the next [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|Chief of the Air Staff]] (CAS), succeeding Air Chief Marshal [[Om Prakash Mehra]].<ref name="PIB Next Air Chief">{{cite web |title=AIR MARSHAL H. MOOLGAVKAR TO BE NEXT AIR CHIEF|url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1976-JAN-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1976-01-12_011.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=12 January 1976}}</ref> He was promoted to the rank of [[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]] took over as the 9th CAS on 31 January.<ref>{{cite web |title=AIR CHIEF MARSHAL H. MOOLGAVKAR'S ORDER OF THE DAY|url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1976-JAN-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1976-01-31_043.pdf |website=pibarchive.nic.in |date=31 March 1976}}</ref> Soon after taking over as Chief, Moolgavkar and the [[Chief of the Naval Staff (India)|Chief of the Naval Staff]] [[Admiral (India)|Admiral]] [[Jal Cursetji]] discussed about the handing over of the [[maritime reconnaissance]] role from the Indian Air Force to the [[Indian Navy]]. In accordance with this, the [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation]] aircraft of the [[No. 6 Squadron IAF]] were transferred to the Navy. On 8 October 1976, the [[INAS 312]] was commissioned at Goa.{{sfn|Hiranandani|1999}}

==Dates of rank==
{|class="wikitable" style="background:white"
! Insignia !! Rank !! Component !! Date of rank
|-
|align="center" |[[File:UK-Air-OF1B.svg|35px]] || [[Pilot Officer]] || [[Royal Indian Air Force]] || 30 November 1940<ref name="IAF Bio" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:UK-Air-OF1A.svg|35px]] || [[Flying Officer]] || [[Royal Indian Air Force]] || 30 May 1942<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:UK-Air-OF2.svg|35px]] || [[Flight Lieutenant]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 1 April 1944 (acting) 25 February 1947 (substantive)<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:UK-Air-OF3.svg|35px]] || [[Squadron Leader]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 16 January 1947 (acting) 15 August 1948 (substantive)<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Squadron Leader of IAF.png|35px]] || [[Squadron Leader]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)<ref name="insignia_designs">{{cite web|title=New Designs of Crests and Badges in the Services|url=http://pibarchive.nic.in/archive/ArchiveFirstPhase/HOME%20AFFAIRS/1950/HOM-1950-01-06_484.pdf|website=Press Information Bureau of India – Archive|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808193914/http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-01-06_484.pdf|archivedate=8 August 2017}}</ref>
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Wing_Commander_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 1 March 1951<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Group_Captain_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Group captain (India)|Group Captain]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 17 May 1952 (acting)<ref name="PIB Bio" /> 1 April 1955 (substantive)
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Air_Commodore_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Air commodore (India)|Air Commodore]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 12 June 1962 (acting) 1 April 1964 (substantive)<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Air_Vice_Marshal_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Air vice marshal (India)|Air Vice Marshal]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 25 January 1967 (acting) 1 April 1968 (substantive)<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Air_Marshal_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] || [[Indian Air Force]] || 1 April 1971 (acting)<ref name="Commandant NDC"/> 26 June 1972 (substantive)<ref name="BR Service Record" />
|-
|align="center" |[[File:Air_Chief_Marshal_of_IAF.png|35px]] || [[Air Chief Marshal (India)|Air Chief Marshal]] (CAS) || [[Indian Air Force]] || 1 February 1976<ref name="PIB Next Air Chief"/>
|-
|}

==Personal life and death==
The Moolgavkars had two children - a son Dr. Prakash and a daughter Jyoti.<ref name="Hindu obit" /> Jyoti later wrote the biography of the former CAS titled ''Leading from the Cockpit: A Fighter Pilot’s Story''. The book was published and released in 2010.<ref name="DNA book launch" />

==See also==
* [[National Defence College (India)|National Defence College]]
* [[Commandant of the National Defence College]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{citation|first1=P.C.|last1=Lal|title=My years with the IAF|year=1986|isbn=8170620082|publisher=Lancer Publishers}}
*{{citation|first1=G.M.|last1=Hiranandani|title=Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy, 1965-1975|year=1999|isbn= 978-1897829721|publisher= Spantech & Lancer}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=M A Rahman}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commanding Officer]] [[No. 10 Squadron IAF]]|years=1947–1948}}
{{s-aft|after=Z A Shah}}
{{s-bef|before=H N Chatterjee}}
{{s-ttl|title=Station Commander [[Palam Air Force Station|Air Force Station Palam]]|years=1954–1958}}
{{s-aft|after=B S Krishnarao}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Hari Chand Dewan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief]] [[Central Air Command]] |years=1968–1971}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Maurice Barker]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Vice Admiral (India)|Vice Admiral]] [[Sourendra Nath Kohli]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commandant of the National Defence College]] |years=1971–1973}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]] M M Khanna}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Minoo Merwan Engineer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief]] [[Western Air Command (India)|Western Air Command]] |years=1973–1976}}
{{s-aft|after=[[E J Dhatigara]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Om Prakash Mehra]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|Chief of the Air Staff]] |years=1976–1978}}
{{s-aft|after=[[I. H. Latif|Idris Latif]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[General (India)|General]] [[Tapishwar Narain Raina]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee]] |years=1978–1978}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Admiral (India)|Admiral]] [[Jal Cursetji]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Chief_of_the_Defence_Staff_(India)}}
{{Chief_of_the_Air_Staff_(India)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moolgavkar, Hrushikesh}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Air Staff (India)]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:Commandants of National Defence College, India]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force]]
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra]]

Hrushikesh Moolgavkar - Revision history

Bot at 13:24, 8 October 2022