Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Assumes Command of the Indian Air Force

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed command as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force on 31 October 2026. He succeeded Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, who retired after 42 years of service. A ceremonial guard of honour was held at the Race Course Air Force Station in New Delhi before the handover.

Dixit, born on 9 December 1966, was commissioned into the fighter stream on 6 December 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh, and the National Defence College. An experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor, he has logged more than 3,500 flying hours on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, Hawk and Tejas. He previously served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff during Operation Sindoor, and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.

In his first public remarks he outlined priorities under the acronym VAYU: vigilance and operational readiness, Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance in platforms and weapons, Yukti or tactical innovation, and unity of effort across the three services. He identified restoration of the IAF's sanctioned fighter squadron strength as a foremost task. The force continues to operate below authorised strength while modernisation programmes for indigenous platforms and upgrades proceed.

Dixit's earlier work included finalising Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and completing initial and final operational clearance activities for the Tejas LCA Mk-1. He has held command of a Mirage-2000 squadron, a forward base support unit and Air Force Station Bidar. His joint-staff experience during Operation Sindoor gives him direct exposure to tri-service planning.

The change of command occurs as the armed forces advance theaterisation reforms and as the IAF balances readiness requirements with indigenous production targets. Dixit arrives in an electric vehicle for the ceremony, a small operational detail noted by observers. The immediate focus remains maintaining high readiness while accelerating squadron recovery and integration of new systems.