Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit appointed next Chief of Indian Air Force

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed as the next Chief of the Indian Air Force, taking over the top post at the end of October.

Dixit will succeed Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on the afternoon of October 31, according to an official government notification. Approved by the President of India, his appointment will see him promoted to the substantive rank of Air Chief Marshal, with a tenure running until December 31, 2028.

He takes over the leadership of the air force at a time of transition, succeeding Singh, who led the force during the brief military escalation with Pakistan in May 2025 and oversaw major operational commitments including Operation Sindoor.

A focus on self-reliance

One of Dixit's primary tasks will be managing the ongoing modernisation of the air force, particularly the government's push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing, known as Aatmanirbharta.

He has already spent years at the centre of these efforts. Dixit has been closely associated with the development, testing, and induction of indigenous aircraft programmes, most notably the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

Four decades in the cockpit

Dixit's career with the air force spans nearly 40 years. He was commissioned into the fighter stream on December 6, 1986. Over the subsequent decades, he has logged more than 3,500 flying hours as both an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor.

His flying log covers a vast range of aircraft. He has flown frontline fighters like the Mirage-2000 and various MiG variants, transport aircraft including the An-32 and IL-78, and trainers such as the HPT-32, Kiran, and Hawk, alongside the indigenous Tejas.

During his service, he has participated in several key operations. These include Operation Safed Sagar, the air support campaign during the 1999 Kargil conflict, as well as Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor.

Extensive leadership experience

Before his appointment to the top job, Dixit built a wide-ranging administrative and command portfolio. He has commanded a Mirage-2000 squadron, a frontline fighter base in the western sector, and a fighter training base.

At Air Headquarters in New Delhi, his staff appointments have included serving as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Principal Director of Air Staff Requirements, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects), and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans).

His senior command positions include serving as the Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer of South Western Air Command. More recently, he served as the head of Central Air Command and as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, before stepping into the role of Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Dixit also completed the staff course at the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh and is a graduate of the National Defence College in New Delhi.