Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit appointed next Chief of Air Staff, to take charge on October 31

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit an accomplished fighter pilot with over 3500 hours of flying experience on more than 20 types of aircraft will be the next Chief of Air Staff succeeding incumbent Air Chief Marshal AP Singh the Defence Ministry announced on TuesdayDixit who is known for his strategic planning and played a key role during Operation Sindoor is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air StaffThe Government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit PVSM AVSM VM VSM presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of Air Chief Marshal with effect from the afternoon of October 31 2026 He will succeed Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh who superannuates on October 31 2026 An Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor with over 3500 hours of flying experience Air Marshal Dixit has held key operational and strategic appointments including CISC HQ IDS and AOCinC Central Air Commandmdash Ministry of Defence Government of India SpokespersonMoD October 6 2026The government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff with effect from the afternoon of October 31 the ministry said Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh will superannuate on the same dayIn a distinguished career spanning four decades Dixit has held a variety of Command Staff and Instructional appointmentsBorn on December 9 1966 Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6 1986Before assuming charge as the 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 StaffFourdecade career marked by key operations and upgradesPrior to that he served as the Air Officer CommandinginChief of the Central Air CommandThe Air Marshal is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy Defence Staff Service College Bangladesh and National Defence College He has more than 3500 hours of extensive flying experience on various aircraft including the Mirage2000 variants of MiG Kiran Jaguar IL78 Hawk and TejasHe is an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor During his service career spanning approximately four decades Air Marshal Dixit has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises including OperationSated Sagar OperationRakshak and Operation SindoorThe Air Marshal has held a number of significant field and staff appointments He commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern sectorAir Marshal Dixit was involved in several indigenous upgrade and development programmes including the avionics upgrades for the Jaguar and MiG27The operational capability of the Indian Air Force has improved with the contribution of the Air Officer in various capacities the ministry saidHe was 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 in recognition of his distinguished servicesWith PTI inputs