Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit appointed new IAF Chief

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been named the Chief of the Air Staff.The government announced the decision on Tuesday. Air Marshal Dixit, who is currently the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will become the 29th head of the Indian Air Force. He will hold the rank of Air Chief Marshal. Air Marshal Dixit will take over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires on October 31, 2026. During his service career, spanning approximately four decades, he has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises, viz. Op Safed Sagar, Op Rakshak, Cope-India and Op Sindoor. Widely known for pushing the indigenous LCA Tejas and other indigenous aircraft projects in the force, Air Marshal Dixit is expected to further promote the Aatmanirbharta initiative of the govt.

The 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 3,500 hours of flying experience, Air Marshal Dixit has held key operational and strategic appointments, including CISC, HQ IDS and AOC-in-C, Central Air Command

— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 6, 2026

Born on December 9, 1966, Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 6 December 1986. Since then, he has held a wide mix of operational, instructional and senior command roles. He has flown a long list of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, Kiran, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas.
Before becoming Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Dixit served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. Air Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College and the National Defence College.