Who Is Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, The 29th Chief Of The Indian Air Force?

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has approved the appointment of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of the Indian Air Force. Air Marshal Dixit's appointment will come into effect from October 31, 2026, and will remain in force until December 31, 2028.

Air Marshal Dixit will take over the position from the current Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who assumed office on September 30, 2024.

Who is Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit?

Air Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh), and the National Defence College. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 6th December 1986. He has not only quantity but also quality when it comes to flying jets of the Indian Air Force, having clocked more than 3,500 hours of flying experience.

Air Marshal Dixit is a former Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and has been a key player in Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak, and Operation Sindoor.

Over his career in the mighty Indian Air Force, he had the opportunity to fly a wide range of aircraft, including the HPT-32, AN-32, Avro, Kiran, Jaguar, Il-78 and Hawk. Air Marshal Dixit has served as an experimental test pilot, having served with the Flight Test Squadron at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment in Bengaluru, as well as a qualified flight instructor and fighter combat leader. He was involved in the re-equipment of the Mirage-2000 after serving as the Commanding Officer of No. 9 Squadron.

He believes in the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been playing his role in furthering that vision, especially in the defence sphere, to ensure the safety and security of India and its people.