Sadruddin Mohammad Hossain, Bir Protik is a former chief of

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী, Bangladesh Biman Bahini) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of B ...

. His grandchildren consist of Adeena Hossain, Fariha Hossain, Samiha Hossain, Adeeb Hossain, Farzad Hossain, Zaria Ahsan, Turaia Ahsan, Homum Ahsan and Zohair Ahsan

Career

Air Vice Marshal Sadruddin was the 5th Chief of Bangladesh Air Force from 9 December 1977 to 22 July 1981. He was the youngest Air Chief in the history of Bangladesh Air Force (at the age of 36). Upon graduating from Lower Topa Cadet College, he resumed his career as a fighter pilot in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

in 1959, flying mainly the

North American F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...

and the

Dassault Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...

. He was one of the top 20 cadets who was sent to the United States for advanced training at the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Valdosta, Georgia at

Moody AFB Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with the eastern border of the base following the Lanier County line. Georgia State Rout ...

and also at

Luke AFB Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major training ...

in Glendale, Arizona from 1960 to 1962. He had also received military training in China. He is credited with at least two joint kills of Indian

Folland Gnats The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical combat aircraft, it was ...

during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

. He was promoted to

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

in 1968 and was posted as the commander of a 3-aircraft flight under an attack squadron at

Sargodha Sargodha ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as ...

. In April 1971 he quit Pakistan Air Force to join the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan. During the Liberation War he was a liaison officer between the Mukti Bahini and the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

, and was stationed in Sector 6. After the Liberation War of 1971 between Bangladesh and Pakistan, he was promoted to

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

and placed in command of the Dhaka Airbase of the newly formed Bangladesh Air Force. His next appointment was as

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

and Defence Attache at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow, Russia where he spent 3.5 years with his wife, daughter, Tahmina Hossain, older son, Sarwaruddin Mohammad Hossain, and oldest son, Farid Hossain. After completing this assignment, Group Captain Sadruddin returned to Bangladesh in 1977 and was assigned as Director of the Bangladesh Air Force Air Operations & Air Intelligence. He was promoted to Air Commodore and Chief of the Air Staff in 1977.

References

Bangladesh Air Force air marshals Living people Bangladeshi military personnel 1938 births Chiefs of Air Staff (Bangladesh) People from Narail District Mukti Bahini personnel {{Bangladesh-mil-bio-stub