Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Assumes Charge as Chief of Air Staff

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has taken over as the new Chief of Air Staff, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A P Singh. Dixit brings over four decades of service and extensive flying experience to the position.

NEW DELHI — Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the new Chief of Air Staff on Saturday, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A P Singh. Singh superannuated from the Indian Air Force after a 43-year-long career.

Prior to this appointment, Air Chief Marshal Dixit served as the Vice Chief of the force and played a key role during Operation Sindoor. He was also the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, and served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command.

Born on December 9, 1966, Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh), and the National Defence College. Over a career spanning approximately four decades, he has held various command, staff, and instructional appointments.

An accomplished fighter pilot, Dixit has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience on over 20 types of aircraft. His flying portfolio includes the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk, and Tejas. He is also an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor.

Throughout his service, Dixit has been involved in several operations and exercises, including Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak, and Operation Sindoor. His previous field assignments include commanding a front-line fighter air base in the Western sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern sector.

The transition of leadership was marked by a ceremonial guard of honour accorded to the outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Singh, at the Race Course Air Force Station before he handed over the baton to Dixit.

"Leadership transitions in large, mission-critical organizations require a deep foundation of operational experience and strategic foresight. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit stepping into the role of Chief of Air Staff brings decades of comprehensive institutional knowledge, from flight operations to strategic staff appointments. For organizations across sectors, continuity anchored by experienced internal leadership ensures stability and steady execution of long-term objectives during periods of structural transition." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes