Ashutosh Dixit Becomes 29th Chief of the Air Staff

The Indian Air Force changed hands on 31 October 2026, when Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit PVSM AVSM VM VSM took charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff. He moved into the chair vacated the same day by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh PVSM AVSM, who hung up his uniform after 42 years of service.

Who the new chief is

The new chief passed out of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on 6 December 1986, which places his career at about four decades. He is a fighter pilot, a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot, and he has flown for more than 3,300 hours. The types he has handled range over the Mirage-2000, a spread of MiG variants, the Jaguar and several transport aircraft. His experience covers operations, flight testing, capability development and joint staff work.

His work on modernisation

A good part of his standing rests on capability building. He had a hand in finalising the upgrade projects for the Jaguar and the MiG-27 fleets, and he saw through the Initial Operational Clearance and the Final Operational Clearance of the LCA Mk-I Tejas, the light combat aircraft built in India.

Commands and staff appointments

In command, he has led a Mirage-2000 squadron, a Forward Base Support Unit in the Western Sector and Air Force Station Bidar, a leading fighter training base. In staff posts he served as Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, where procurement and capability work came his way. He went on to head Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, and during Operation Sindoor he was Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The post he held just before becoming chief was Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

Courses and decorations

He is a graduate of the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh and of the National Defence College in New Delhi. His decorations are the Vayu Sena Medal, the Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

The chief who stepped down

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, a fighter pilot and an Experimental Test Pilot himself, retired the same day. His term as chief is marked by the Air Force's conduct in Operation Sindoor and by a steady push on indigenisation, innovation and the use of new technology, along with a close personal connect with air warriors at every level.