New Indian Air Force Chief Ashutosh Dixit Sets VAYU Priorities Centered on Tejas and Squadron Strength

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed command of the Indian Air Force on Saturday, 31 October, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh. A ceremonial guard of honour was held at Race Course Air Force Station in New Delhi before the handover. Dixit, a fighter pilot with more than 3,500 hours on over 20 aircraft types, previously served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff and as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.

On Sunday Dixit outlined his priorities under the acronym VAYU. The letters stand for vigilance and readiness, Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance, Yukti or ingenuity, and unity of effort. He said the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A and Mark-2 fighters, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, and Indian sensors and weapons are the force's highest priority. He added that the Air Force would fight with Indian solutions and would need these systems in numbers sufficient for sustained operations.

Restoring combat strength toward the sanctioned level is his foremost task. The IAF currently fields 29 active fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42, its lowest in 60 years. Delivery of the Tejas Mark-1A has been delayed in part by late supply of its American-made engines. None had been delivered at the time of Dixit's remarks. He said the force must remain ready to fight and win while transforming for the next decade.

Dixit thanked his predecessor for handing over a force in a high state of readiness after Operation Sindoor. He noted that the security environment remains demanding and that the character of war is being reshaped by drones, long-range precision weapons, space, cyber, artificial intelligence and the electromagnetic spectrum. Integration with the other armed forces forms part of the unity-of-effort pillar.

Born on 9 December 1966, Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream on 6 December 1986. He has held command, staff and instructional appointments, including Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command. His role during Operation Sindoor involved strategic planning. The VAYU framework places self-reliance and indigenous production at the center of force modernization while requiring continued operational readiness.

The gap between 29 and 42 squadrons has been a persistent concern for successive air chiefs. Delays in the Tejas program and the retirement of older aircraft have widened it. Dixit's emphasis on numbers sufficient for sustained operations points to both production rates and the ability to keep aircraft serviceable over long campaigns. He has not released a target date for closing the gap.

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft remains in development. Tejas Mark-2 is further along but still subject to engine and systems schedules. Dixit said Indian sensors and weapons would accompany the airframes. The statement aligns with broader government policy on defense indigenization, though the pace of delivery will determine whether the priority translates into squadron numbers within the current decade.

Dixit takes charge at a moment when the force is both operationally active and numerically constrained. His public remarks on the first full day in office set a clear order: readiness first, then indigenous platforms in quantity, then the technical and joint arrangements needed to employ them. How quickly the production and induction pipelines respond will shape the practical content of the VAYU agenda.