Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Meets Rajnath Singh Before Taking Over as IAF Chief
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who has been appointed as the next Chief of the Air Staff, met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on October 7, 2026, a day after the government named him to lead the Indian Air Force. Singh congratulated the air chief-designate and wished him success as he prepares to take charge at the end of the month.
The government had announced on October 6 that Air Marshal Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, would become the 29th Chief of the Air Staff. He is set to assume the rank of Air Chief Marshal and take over command of the IAF from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. He will succeed Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who is due to superannuate on the same day.
Dixit is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, a role he took up on July 1, 2026. Born on December 9, 1966, he was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986, and has completed nearly four decades in uniform.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh, and the National Defence College, he is both an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor. Over the course of his career, he has flown more than 3,500 hours on a range of aircraft, including the Mirage 2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, Hawk, Tejas, Kiran and IL-78.
His operational record includes participation in Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak, Cope India and Operation Sindoor. He also re-equipped No. 9 Squadron with the Mirage 2000 during his tenure as the squadron’s commanding officer.
Beyond flying and field assignments, Air Marshal Dixit has held a series of senior command and staff roles. He has commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector as well as a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector. His staff appointments have included Directing Staff at the Air Force Test Pilots School, Principal Director Air Staff Requirement, Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans), Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of Air Staff.
Before becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Dixit served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command. He later moved to Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, where he was involved in efforts aimed at strengthening jointness and integration among the armed forces.
For his service, he has received 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.
His meeting with the Defence Minister comes as he prepares for the handover at the end of October, when he will formally take over as the Indian Air Force’s 29th chief.
