The Government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, effective October 31, 2026. He will take over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh who retires on the same date. Here are more details about his career and achievements.
The Government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, with effect from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. His predecessor, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, will superannuate office on the same date.
Air Marshal Dixit, currently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, has an extensive career spanning approximately four decades in the Indian Air Force (IAF). He was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF on December 06, 1986. Prior to his current role, he has served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command.
Air Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College. He has over 3500 hours of flying experience on various aircrafts including Mirage-2000, Mig variants, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, HAWK, and Tejas. He is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.
Throughout his career, Air Marshal Dixit has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises including Op-Sated Sagar, Op-Rakshak, and Op Sindoor. During his service, he has held significant field and staff appointments, commanding a front-line fighter air base in Western Sector and a premiere fighter training base in Southern Sector.
Air Marshal Dixit's contributions to the Indian Air Force have been recognized with several honors. He was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, AtiVishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
