Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will be the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. The government announced the appointment on Tuesday.

He takes over in the rank of Air Chief Marshal from the afternoon of 31 October 2026, the day Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh superannuates. His tenure as chief runs up to 31 December 2028, a little over two years.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as IAF chief on 31 October

The President approved the appointment, according to a Ministry of Defence letter dated 6 October addressed to Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhawan.

He moves up from the second-highest post in the force. Air Marshal Dixit took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 July this year, succeeding Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, as reported at the time.

As Vice Chief, he briefed the media in September on Tarang Shakti 2026, where the US F-35 is training with the IAF for the first time at Jodhpur.

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has led the force since 30 September 2024. At his annual press conference on 3 October, ahead of the 94th Air Force Day, he said the IAF needs 36 to 40 new aircraft a year. Air Force Day falls on Thursday.

Experimental Test Pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours

Air Marshal Dixit is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor. He has logged more than 3,500 hours in the air, according to the Ministry of Defence.

His logbook covers almost every kind of aircraft the IAF flies. It includes the Mirage 2000, the Jaguar and several MiG variants among fighters, the IL-78 tanker, the An-32 and Avro transports, and the HPT-32, Kiran and Hawk trainers. He has also flown the indigenous LCA Tejas.

He was commissioned into the fighter stream on 6 December 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

Kargil, Op Rakshak and Op Sindoor on his record

In close to four decades of service, he has taken part in Operation Safed Sagar, the IAF's air campaign in the 1999 Kargil war, and Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir. He has also been part of the Cope India exercises with the US Air Force, and of Operation Sindoor.

He took over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on 1 May 2025. Operation Sindoor began six days later.

Tejas and indigenous aircraft projects central to his record

Defence sources said Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is widely known within the force for backing the LCA Tejas and other indigenous aircraft projects. He is expected to take the Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in the IAF further as chief, the sources added.

CISC, Central Air Command and Deputy Chief among key posts

The Ministry of Defence listed his key appointments as CISC at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command. Before those, he served as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff from May 2023.

Earlier in his career, he commanded a Mirage 2000 squadron, a frontline fighter base in the western sector and a premier fighter training base, according to Indian Air Force records. He has also served as Directing Staff at the Air Force Test Pilots School, Principal Director Air Staff Requirements, Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for Projects and for Plans, and Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command.

He holds the PVSM, AVSM, VM and VSM.