Group Captain (retd) Saiful Azam, one of the greatest Bangladeshi fighter pilots of all time, breathed his last at Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka around 1:00pm yesterday.

The 80-year-old was undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Saiful Azam was known to be the only pilot who had flown for three air forces -- Jordan, Iraq, and Pakistan -- at war. He also holds the record of shooting down more Israeli aircrafts than anyone else.

The United States Air Force honored him as one of the 22 "Living Eagles" of the world. He also received multiple gallantry awards from both Jordan and Iraq for his extraordinary skills and courage.

After serving other air forces, he returned home in 1971 and joined the newly-formed Bangladesh Air Force to serve as the director of flight safety and director of operations.

He was also the chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) from 1982 to 1984 and later from 1987 to 1988.