Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

Sultan Mahmud,

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom () is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for living individual. Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 69 people have been awarded the Bir Utto ...

(2 May 1942 – 14 August 2023) was a former chief of the

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...

and a former deputy chief martial law administrator. As a member of Kilo Flight, he is one of the founders of Bangladesh's Air Force. He later served as the Minister of Industries. He received the

Independence Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglades ...

from the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

in 2018.

Early life and education

He was born on 2 May 1942 in Feni. He obtained his primary education from

Armanitola Government High School Armanitola Government High School is a secondary school for boys in Armanitola, in the old part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It celebrated its centenary in 2004. History This school was established in 1904 by the British government, as an experimental ...

. Later he was admitted to

PAF College Sargodha PAF College Sargodha is a Pakistan Air Force operated boarding school located in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 1953. Founded as a feeding school for Pakistan Air Force Academy, it is now a public school since 1990 funded ...

. He completed his matriculation and Senior Cambridge from PAF College Sargodha in 1958 and in 1960 respectively. He joined the Pakistan Air Force as Cadet in 1960.

Career

He joined the

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

on 19 August 1960. He was commissioned in the Pakistan Air Force on 1 July 1962. In 1971 he was posted to Karachi. In May 1971 he left Karachi to join the liberation war and went to Dhaka. After the independence he served in Bangladesh Air Force. He served as the commanding officer of BAF Bashar and BAF Matiur Rahman. He also served as the commandant of Bangladesh Air Force Academy and as director (operations) at BAF HQ. Mahmud was chief of the Bangladesh Air Force from 23 July 1981 to 22 July 1987. On 24 March 1982, he was appointed deputy chief martial law administrator by President

Hussain Mohammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...

. On 1 June 1986, he was placed in charge of the Ministry of Industries. In 1992 he was charged with corruption after the government of President Hussain Mohammad Ershad relinquished power. He was acquitted of these charges 24 years later.

Personal life

He was married to Ferdaus Ara Mahmud. They have a son and a daughter.

Awards and decorations

Death

Sultan Mahmud died in Dhaka on 14 August 2023, at the age of 81.

References

1944 births 2023 deaths Bangladesh Air Force air marshals Chiefs of Air Staff (Bangladesh) Recipients of the Independence Award Mukti Bahini personnel People from Feni District Ministers of industries of Bangladesh {{Bangladesh-mil-bio-stub