Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed as the next Chief of the Air Staff and will assume charge as Air Chief Marshal on 31 October, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh upon his retirement. The government has named him as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, with his tenure set to continue until 31 December 2028.

Currently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff since 1 July 2026, Dixit brings nearly four decades of operational, command and strategic experience to the Indian Air Force.

A veteran of the Kargil War, he participated in Operation Safed Sagar, carrying out combat missions against infiltrators. During his distinguished career, he has also taken part in Operation Rakshak, Cope India and Operation Sindoor, gaining extensive experience in both wartime and peacetime operations.

Dixit is recognised as one of the Air Force's most accomplished aviators. An Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor, he has logged more than 3,500 flying hours across around 20 aircraft types, including the Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Tejas, Hawk, IL-78, AN-32, Avro, Kiran, HPT-32 and various MiG variants.

Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 6 December 1986, he is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College.

Throughout his career, he has held several key appointments, including Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and commander of major operational and training establishments.

He also played an important role in advancing indigenous aviation capabilities. Defence observers credit him with strongly backing the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas programme and other home-grown aircraft initiatives, and he is expected to continue supporting India's self-reliance drive in military aviation.

Earlier in his career, Dixit oversaw the induction of Mirage-2000 fighters into a frontline squadron, led acceptance flights for newly acquired aircraft from France, contributed to upgrade projects for Jaguar and MiG-27 aircraft, and participated in evaluations conducted under the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft programme.

President Droupadi Murmu awarded him the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in June 2026 in recognition of his distinguished service. He has also previously received the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

As a test pilot, Dixit's responsibilities have included evaluating aircraft at the limits of their performance envelope, assessing stability and controls, validating new radar, missile and electronic warfare systems, and determining whether aircraft are ready for operational service. Such roles are reserved for highly experienced aviators with exceptional flying and technical expertise.

His appointment comes at a significant time for the Indian Air Force as it pursues modernisation, greater jointness among the armed forces, indigenous capability development and the strengthening of its combat aviation fleet.

Agencies