Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, a highly decorated fighter pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on more than 20 aircraft types, assumed charge as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on Thursday at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, New Delhi. He succeeds Lt Gen JP Mathew, who superannuated on Wednesday.
Before this appointment, Air Marshal Dixit served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, where he focused on enhancing operational readiness and fostering inter-service coordination across the central region.
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986, Air Marshal Dixit has had a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades. He has held a wide range of command, staff, and instructional appointments. He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, and Vayu Sena Medal for his exemplary service.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh), and National Defence College, New Delhi, he is also a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot. His extensive flying experience includes the Mirage-2000, MiG-21, and Jaguar aircraft.
Air Marshal Dixit has previously commanded a key Fighter Training Base in the Southern Sector, which was adjudged the best in the Command under his leadership. As Commanding Officer of the Flight Test Squadron at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment in Bengaluru, he contributed significantly to indigenous aircraft upgrade and development programmes, including avionics enhancements for the Jaguar and MiG-27.
As Director of Air Staff Requirements, he played a pivotal role in the planning and executing of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) trials.
Team BharatShakti
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
