The Ministry of Defence announced the appointment of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, effective from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. He will assume the rank of Air Chief Marshal, succeeding the current Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who superannuates from office on the same date.
Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 06, 1986, and currently serves as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Prior to this role, he served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Command & Staff College Bangladesh, and National Defence College.
The new Air Chief has extensive operational experience with more than 3500 hours of flying on various aircraft including Mirage-2000, variants of MiG, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk, and Tejas. He is an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor who has participated in numerous operations including Op-Safed Sagar, Op-Rakshak, and Op-Sindoor. Throughout his career, he has commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector.
Air Marshal Dixit has received multiple military honors including the Vayu Sena Medal (2006), Vishisht Seva Medal (2011), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2023), and Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2026) in recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service.