New Delhi, Oct 2026: The Central government on Tuesday approved the appointment of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the next Chief of the Air Staff. He will take charge as the 29th Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on October 31, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who is scheduled to retire on the same day.
Dixit, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will assume the rank of Air Chief Marshal upon taking charge. His tenure will continue until December 31, 2028.
A government notification said: “With the approval of the President, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM has been appointed as the next Chief of the Air Staff in the substantive rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of 31st October, 2026, with a tenure up to 31st December, 2028.”
Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on December 6, 1986, and has completed nearly four decades of service. A qualified flying instructor, he has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience on a wide range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and indigenous LCA Tejas.
Over the course of his career, Dixit has held several important operational and strategic assignments. Before becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command.
He has also commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector, giving him extensive experience in both operational and training environments.
Dixit has been associated with several major military operations and exercises during his career, including Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Staff Service College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College, Dixit has also been closely associated with the evolution and induction of indigenous aviation platforms.
His career has been recognised with several military decorations. He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026 for distinguished service.
As Vice Chief, Dixit has been closely involved with the IAF’s operational preparedness and modernisation priorities. His experience with indigenous aircraft programmes, including the LCA Tejas, is expected to be significant as the force continues to expand domestic defence production and reduce dependence on foreign platforms.
His appointment comes at a time when the IAF is pursuing modernisation across combat aircraft, unmanned systems, air defence, weapons and support platforms while simultaneously strengthening indigenous capabilities.
Dixit will take over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on October 31 and lead the IAF through the remainder of the current decade, with Aatmanirbharta in defence expected to remain an important focus during his tenure.
