The Ministry of Defence has announced the appointment of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, effective from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh who superannuates from office on the same date.
Air Marshal Dixit is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff and brings extensive operational experience to the role, having been commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 06, 1986. He has accumulated more than 3500 hours of flying experience on various aircraft including Mirage-2000, variants of MiG, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk, and Tejas. His qualifications include being an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor.
Prior to his current role as Vice Chief, Dixit 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 has commanded both a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector.
His operational experience includes participation in numerous operations and exercises including Op-Safed Sagar, Op-Rakshak, and Op-Sindoor. Throughout his approximately four-decade career, he has received multiple military decorations: Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023, and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026 in recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service.