Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force on October 31, 2026, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, who retired after 42 years of distinguished service.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Dixit was commissioned into the IAF’s Fighter Stream on December 6, 1986. Over four decades of service, he has accumulated more than 3,500 flying hours on aircraft including the Mirage 2000, MiG variants, Jaguar and transport platforms.
His career spans operational command, flight testing, capability development and joint defence assignments. He contributed to the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade programmes and the Initial and Final Operational Clearance activities for the LCA Tejas Mk1.
His senior appointments have included Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee. Before taking over as Air Chief, he served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
Dixit holds the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal. His appointment comes with extensive experience in fighter operations, modernisation and capability development.
