World War II

Lal was commissioned in November 1939 as a pilot officer and posted to Karachi as an observer. He was later posted back to Risalpur as a navigation instructor. After a short stint at the Coastal Defence Flight in Calcutta, Lal was posted as a navigation instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School at Ambala. It was here that he was also trained as a pilot. He flew the Hawker Audax and the Hawker Hart.

In 1943, Flight Lieutenant Lal joined, as a combat pilot, No. 7 Squadron, commanded by Squadron Leader Hem Chaudhuri. The squadron was equipped with Vultee A-31 Vengeance dive bombers and supported the Chindits. The squadron also helped in relieving the Siege of Imphal.

In June 1944, Lal was promoted to the acting rank of squadron leader and took command of No. 7 Squadron. Under him, the squadron converted to fighters. From early 1944 to March 1945, the squadron was very active in the Burma Campaign. He led the squadron in a tactical reconnaissance role in support of the XIV Army, from North Burma all the way till Rangoon. He was mentioned in dispatches in December 1944.^[5] In October 1945, Lal was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).^[6]

The citation for his DFC reads as follows:^[7]

CITATION
Acting Squadron Leader Pratap Chandra Lal
(IND.1567), 7 (RIAF) Squadron

Sqn Ldr Lal has completed a considerable number of operational sorties, He is the Commanding Officer of a squadron which has been employed on photographic reconnaissance in support of the Fourteenth Army in the Irrawaddy Valley. He has shown exceptional qualities and keenness and has completed many hazardous sorties in the wake of strong enemy opposition. He has frequently penetrated deep into enemy territory in search of important information. By his coolness and determination, Sqn Ldr Lal has set a fine example to all his pilots.

After the war, Lal was absorbed into the permanent cadre of the IAF. He moved to the Manning department at Air Headquarters. In August 1946, he took over the inter-service recruiting centre at Calcutta. He was sent for a senior commanders' course to the United Kingdom in December 1946.^[8]

Post-Independence

On 15 August 1947, with the Partition of India, a new Air Headquarters of the Dominion of India was formed.^[9] Lal was appointed the Director of Planning and Training at Air HQ. In November 1947, he was promoted to the acting rank of group captain. Realising that the planning and training were vast responsibilities, it was divided into two departments. In late 1948, Group Captain Arjan Singh took over as Director of Training, while Lal continued as Director of Planning.^[10]

Along with Group Captain Minoo Merwan Engineer, Lal embarked for United Kingdom, having been selected to attend the RAF Staff College, Andover in May 1949.^[11][12] After completing the year-long course, he returned to India and was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of No. 1 Operational Command (later Western Air Command),^[13] serving in that capacity for three years.

In November 1950, there were tensions in the Kingdom of Nepal. King Tribhuvan faced a coup d'état from the Rana dynasty. He took refuge in the Indian embassy.^[14] With two Dakota aircraft, Lal led the Indian Air Force team that brought the king to safety in New Delhi.^[3] In January 1953, he was promoted to the acting rank of air commodore and posted to the Cabinet Secretariat as deputy secretary (military).^[3][12] He led a team of three in October 1954, consisting of Group Captain (later Air Chief Marshal) Hrushikesh Moolgavkar and Flight Lieutenant (later air commodore) Roshan Lal Suri, to Europe to select new aircraft for the IAF. The team rejected the Supermarine Swift and chose the Folland Gnat, a decision which would serve India and the IAF well during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.^[15] During this tour, he became the first Indian to break the sound barrier. After a three-year stint at the Cabinet Secretariat, he took over as the air officer commanding Training Command in Bangalore.^[13][16]

Indian Airlines Corporation

In November 1957, Lal's services were loaned to the Indian Airlines Corporation (IAC) for five years. He took over as the general manager of IAC.^[17] He simultaneously served as a member of the board of directors of IAC and Air India. The IAC fleet was modernised and the company showed its first profits during his tenure.^[16] During this time, the IAF and the IAC were looking for a replacement for the Dakotas. The three aircraft in the fray were the Hawker Siddeley HS 748, the Fokker F27 Friendship and the Lockheed CL-49. The minister of defence, V. K. Krishna Menon, wanted the HS 748 while Lal had his doubts. Eventually, Krishna Menon had his way and the HS 748 was selected to be manufactured in India. In November 1959, Lal was promoted to the acting rank of air vice marshal.^[13]

In November 1960, Air India inaugurated its service to Tokyo, Japan. Lal and Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, then Chief the Air Staff (CAS) were passengers on this flight. After landing in Tokyo, on 8 November 1960, Mukerjee was having a meal in a restaurant with a friend, an officer in the Indian Navy. A piece of food got lodged in his windpipe, choking him to death. Before a doctor was called for and could attend, Mukerjee had died. The next day, Lal came back with Mukerjee's body to Palam Airport, New Delhi.^[18]

The falling out with Menon led to Lal being informed that his services were no longer required by the IAF at the end of his term with IAC in September 1962.^[19][3] His services were not required by the Ministry of Civil Aviation either. The prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, offered him a job in a public sector steel mill but Lal refused. On 30 September 1962, he was paid out provident fund, pension and gratuity and left the service.^[19]

Return to IAF

In October 1962, the Sino-Indian War broke out and with the defeat came Menon's resignation on 31 October.^[20] Lal was re-instated in service in December as Air Officer Maintenance at Air Headquarters.^[3] After about a year as AOM, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command which was recently upgraded to a full-fledged command.^[21] Lal then took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) in from Air Marshal Arjan Singh who assumed office as the Chief of the Air Staff.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Lal served as the VCAS. For distinguished service of a high order during the war, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.^[22] On 15 January 1966, in recognition of the contribution of the IAF, the post of the CAS was upgraded to the rank of Air Chief Marshal and that of the VCAS to the rank of Air Marshal. Lal was promoted to the acting rank of air marshal, the first VCAS to hold the rank.^[23]

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

In September 1966, Lal was deputed to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and took over as the managing director.^[16] He brought about many innovations at HAL. He brought in a management specialist from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to take a fresh look at problems. A management information system was introduced for the first time. To improve productivity and lower costs, a production planning and control system was introduced. Under Lal, corporate policies regarding multiple aspects of human resource management were framed.^[24] He was instrumental in the establishment of the production lines for the new Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and Folland Gnat fighters, and HS 748 transport aircraft.^[3]

Chief of Air Staff

On 16 July 1969, Lal was promoted to the rank of air chief marshal, the second Indian officer to hold the rank, and assumed the office of Chief of the Air Staff.^[25]