![](https://bharatshakti.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LT-BSI-Defence.gif")
The government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, currently Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the next Chief of the Air Staff. He will take over as the 29th IAF Chief in the rank of Air Chief Marshal on October 31, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires on the same day.
Air Marshal Dixit, a fighter pilot with nearly four decades of service and more than 3,500 hours of flying experience, has flown a wide range of combat and trainer aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar and Tejas. He is also an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.
His appointment comes at a time when the Indian Air Force is grappling with a shrinking fighter fleet, delays in induction of new combat aircraft and the emerging challenge posed by fifth-generation fighters and unmanned warfare.
Before taking over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command and as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.
He has also commanded a frontline fighter base in the Western Sector and a fighter training base in the Southern Sector, giving him experience in both operational and training domains.
During his career, Air Marshal Dixit has been associated with several operations and exercises, including Operation Sated Sagar, Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College, Dixit has been decorated with the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and, most recently, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
His tenure as IAF Chief will come at a critical juncture for the service, with the force seeking to arrest the decline in its fighter squadron strength while simultaneously preparing for a rapidly changing air-war environment involving drones, loitering munitions, long-range precision weapons and fifth-generation combat aircraft.
Team BharatShakti
