New Delhi, Oct 6 (JKNS): The Government of India has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, as the next Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), with the decorated fighter pilot set to take charge in the rank of Air Chief Marshal from the afternoon of October 31, 2026.
He will succeed Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who is scheduled to superannuate on the same day. The appointment will be effective until December 31, 2028.
As per news agency JKNS, Air Marshal Dixit is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, a position he assumed on July 1, 2026. With his appointment, he will become the 29th Chief of the Air Staff.
Born on December 9, 1966, Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. His career spans nearly four decades and includes extensive operational, command, instructional and strategic assignments.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College, Dixit is an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor. He has logged more than 3,500 hours of flying experience on a wide range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas.
During his career, Dixit has participated in several major operations and exercises, including Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak, Cope India and Operation Sindoor. His operational experience includes commanding a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector.
As a Commanding Officer, he was involved in re-equipping No. 9 Squadron with Mirage-2000 aircraft. He also served as a Directing Staff at the Air Force Test Pilots School and held the position of Principal Director, Air Staff Requirements, at Air Headquarters.
His senior appointments have included 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 Headquarters South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air Headquarters.
Before taking charge as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Dixit served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command and subsequently as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. In the tri-services appointment, he worked on strengthening jointness and integration among the armed forces.
Dixit has also been associated with modernisation and indigenous defence programmes. During his tenure in senior appointments, he was involved in initiatives related to future technologies and self-reliance in defence, including indigenous upgrades and development programmes.
In September 2026, as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he inaugurated the first IAF Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, an initiative involving defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators working on unmanned systems.
For his distinguished service, Dixit has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
The appointment places an officer with extensive fighter-flying, test-pilot, operational command and joint-services experience at the helm of the Indian Air Force as its 29th Chief of the Air Staff. (JKNS)
