Service No & Branch | 4973 F(P) (Orig: GD(P)) | Stream :Fighters | |||||||||||||||
Date of Birth: 24 Feb 1935 | Commissioned: 08 Oct 1955 | Course: 66 Course | |||||||||||||||
Service End: | Retired on 28 Feb 1993 Superannuated Died on 06 May 2021 (86 Years age) | Nick Name : | |||||||||||||||
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Google the Bharat Rakshak Website for : "P M Ramachandran" |
Plt Offr | Air Cmde |
Dates | Rank | Unit | Location | Appointment | Photo |
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01 Nov 1955 - 29 Feb 1956 | Plt Offr | Conversion Training Unit | Hakimpet | Student | |
01 Mar 1956 - 17 Mar 1959 | Fg Offr | No.8 Squadron | Ambala/ kalaikunda | Squadron Pilot | |
01 Jul 1959 - 23 Jan 1962 | Flt Lt | Pilot Attack Instructors Flight | Jamnagar | Flying Instructor | |
24 Jan 1962 - 31 Dec 1962 | Flt Lt | Empire Test Pilots School, UK | Farnborough | Test Pilot Course 21st Course | |
01 Jan 1963 - 30 Jun 1963 | Flt Lt | CFS, RAF | Little Rissington, U | Test Pilot | |
01 Jul 1963 - 31 Dec 1963 | Flt Lt | 1 Base Repair Depot | Kanpur | Test Pilot | |
01 Jan 1964 - 31 Jul 1968 | Sqn Ldr | HAL | Kanpur | Test Pilot | |
01 Aug 1968 - 26 Dec 1968 | Sqn Ldr | Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit | Kanpur | Test Pilot | |
01 Dec 1969 - 01 Sep 1970 | Sqn Ldr | Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit | Kanpur | Test Pilot | |
02 Sep 1970 - 23 Sep 1973 | Sqn Ldr | Air Head Quarters | Delhi | S/L, DASR | |
24 Sep 1973 - 14 Feb 1976 | Wg Cdr | No.28 Squadron | Tezpur | Commanding Officer | |
01 Feb 1976 - 01 Jun 1977 | Wg Cdr | Air Force Test Pilots School | Bangalore | Officer Commanding | |
02 Jun 1977 - 07 Jul 1980 | Gp Capt | Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment | Bangalore | Chief Test Pilot | |
01 Jul 1980 - 30 Sep 1982 | Gp Capt | INASO | Delhi | Deputy Proj Dir & CTP | |
01 Oct 1982 - 02 Jan 1985 | Air Cmde | Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment | Bangalore | Commandant | |
03 Jan 1985 - 05 Jan 1987 | Air Cmde | 7 Wing | Ambala | Air Officer Commanding | |
- | AVM | 1 Air Defence Control Centre | Delhi | Air Officer Commanding | |
25 Nov 1987 - 15 May 1988 | AVM | Air Head Quarters | Delhi | OSD | |
16 May 1988 - 18 Dec 1988 | AVM | DPS | Delhi | ADG | |
19 Dec 1988 - 17 May 1990 | AVM | Air Head Quarters | Delhi | Director, Personnel Officers | |
05 Mar 1990 - 13 Oct 1991 | Air Marshal | South Western Air Command | Jodhpur | Senior Air Staff Officer | |
14 Oct 1991 - 28 Feb 1993 | Air Marshal | PSO: Operations, Air HQ | Delhi | Vice Chief of Air Staff | |
Incomplete Information? Additions? Corrections? Please download Template File and follow instructions. |
Shaurya Chakra | ||||
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Flt Lt | Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran | 4973 GD(P) | Award Date 18 Dec 1961 | Announced 26 Jan 1962 |
Details : | On 18th December, 1961, Flight Lieutenant Ramchandran was detailed to lead a section of two Vampires in close support of the ground forces in Diu. While flying over the area, he noticed a patrol boat heading towards an IN Ship which was about two miles from the shore. On his own initiative he decided to fly low to survey the patrol boat . When the boat as well as Diu fort opened heavy fire at his aircraft. Undeterred by the hostile fire, he attacked and blew up the patrol boat which was full of high explosives. During the attack his aircraft was damaged by hostile fire. Flight lieutenant Ramachandran displayed courage and initiative of a high order. | |||
Unit : Armament Training Wing | ||||
Reference : Gazette of India , 22nd September 1962 - No.59 - Pres/62 dated 10th September 1962 |
Vayu Sena Medal | ||||
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Wg Cdr | Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran | 4973 F(P) | Award Date | Announced 26 Jan 1976 |
Details : | Wing Commander Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran has been in Command of an operational Squadron, since September, 1973 whose task is to convert pilots to the latest supersonic fighter aircraft. The squadron has functioned very well and has regularly completed its flying tasks. Wing Commander Ramachandran has a distinguished flying career right form the time he joined the Air Force. He secured the Nabha Trophy for standing first in Ground Subjects in the Air Force Academy and Hindustan Aeronautcs Limited Trophy for standing first in flying training at Hakimpet. He topped the class in pilot attack instructor's course in 1959. At the test pilots course in Farnborough, he was awarded the Edward's trophy for showing the best all round progress in the course. He has flown 47 types of aircraft, total flying being approximately 3050 hours. In Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, he was responsible for training Indian Air Lines pilots of HS-748 aircraft and thereafter he was associated with IAC field trials on HS-748. He also carried out proving and inaugural flights of the IAC to Visakhapatnam and Colombo. Wing Commander Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran has throughout displayed courage, professional skill and devotion to duly of a high order. | |||
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Reference : Gazette of India dated 22nd January 1977 - No.5- Pres/77 dated 26th January 1976 |
Ati Vishist Seva Medal | ||||
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Gp Capt | Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran | 4973 F(P) | Award Date 26 Jan 1980 | Announced 26 Jan 1980 |
Details : | Group Captain Palamadai Mmhuswamy Ramachandran (4973) Flying (Pilot), has been on the posted strength of Aircraft and System Testing Establishment since February, 1976. He was commissioned in the Air Force in October, 1955. His entire service has been marked with outstanding professional competence in every field of activity that he served. Whether as a test pilot, a fighter squadron commander, a pilot attack instructor or as a staff officer, his performance has always been of an extremely high order. His devotion to duty, his courage, and his dedication to the service have already won him recognition in the form of awards of the Shaurya Chakra during the Goa Operations, 1961 and Vayu Sena Medal after three years in command of a fighter squadron from 1973 to 1976. Group Captain Ramachandran qualified as a test pilot in the Empire Test Pilot's School in the UK in 1962. Since then, he has been closely involved with a wide variety of activities affecting the evaluation and induction of new aircraft, weapons and airborne equipment for the Air Force. He has served Hindustan Aircraft Limited on deputation as Chief Test Pilot in the Kanpur Division and has actively participated in the evaluation of several transport, trainer and fighter aircraft for the Air Force. In 1976, as a Wing Commander he took charge of the Test Pilot's School at ASTE and was responsible for the conduct of the first Experimental Test Pilot's Course to be run in this country. India is one of the few countries in the world to provide this very highly specialised form of training, and much of the credit for the success of the venture, goes to the high quality of supervision and leadership exercised by Group Captain Ramachandran. In June, 1977, he took over as the Chief Test Pilot of ASTE. Since then he has been responsible for the planning, supervision and conduct of a vast number of evaluation, development and flight trials, not only for the Air Force, but also for the Research and Development Agencies and the Space Department. He has himself been an active participant in a majority of these trials which have won high praise and recognition for ASTE both within our country and in advanced aeronautical nations with whom India maintains friendly contacts. In the course of his career, Group Captain Ramachandran has flown over 3800 hours on 50 types of aircraft. Of this, over 1500 hours have been spent in testing of almost every type of fixed wing aircraft operated by the Air Force. At all times he met the exacting demands and challenges of this type of work with extreme dedication in the interests of the nation and the service. Group Captain Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran has thus rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order. | |||
Unit : | ||||
Reference : GoI19800126 |
Param Vishist Seva Medal | ||||
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Air Marshal | Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran | 4973 F(P) | Award Date 26 Jan 1993 | Announced 26 Jan 1993 |
Details : | Air Marshal Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran, was commissioned in the IAF on the 8th October, 1955. During his long and distinguished career, he has held a large number of key command and staff appointments which included the command of a frontline fighter Squadron, Director of Personnel (Officers) at Air HQ and Senior Air Staff Officer of an operational command. Applying his excellent professional expertise to real problems, the Air Officer has been displaying rare dynamism and courage throughout his career. During the Goa Operations in 1961, he carried out a bold attack and destroyed enemy patrol boats carrying explosives. He was awarded Shaurya Chakra for gallantry. An alumnus of the prestigious National Defence College, the Air Officer made a distinguished contribution to the concepts of inter-service planning when posted to Defence Planning Staff in the rank of Air Vice Marshal in 1983. Later, as Director of Personnel (Officers) at Air HQ, the Air Officer introduced innovative promotion schemes such as personal ranks of Gp Capt which came at a time when the service was beset with serious promotional bottlenecks. On being appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of South Western Air Command in 1990 in the rank of Air Marshal, the Air Officer provided the much needed foresight, conceptual framework and administrative dynamism for a large number of operational exercises conducted in his Command. In his last appointment of Vice Chief of Air Staff, the Air Officer used his vast professional expertise, operational experience and ability for finding out solutions to complex problems. Air Marshal Palamadai Muthuswamy Ramachandran, AVSM, SC, VM, has, thus, rendered distinguished service of the most exceptional order. | |||
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Reference : GoI19930126 |
Remarks: Blue Skies Podcast Note added: 2022-01-15 |
Blue Skies Podcast:S1Ep2: PM Ramachandran - Sinking the NRP Vega |