Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been appointed as the next Chief of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday (October 6, 2026). He will assume the office of Air Chief Marshal on October 31, and his tenure will extend until December 31, 2028.
An official notification regarding this states, “I am directed to convey the President’s approval for the appointment of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, as the next Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, effective from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. His tenure will continue until December 31, 2028.” Extensive experience flying various IAF aircraft:
According to a report by the news agency ANI, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit possesses extensive experience flying a wide range of aircraft in the Indian Air Force, including the Mirage-2000, various variants of MiG fighter jets, HPT-32, An-32, Avro, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk, and Tejas. He is also an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor. Involvement in numerous significant operations:
During his service career spanning nearly four decades, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has played an active role in several key operations and military exercises, including Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak, Cope India, and Operation Sindhur.
Boosting the LCA Tejas and other indigenous aircraft projects:
According to reports, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has been directly involved in the development and induction of the indigenous LCA Tejas and other indigenous aircraft projects into the Indian Air Force. In this context, he is expected to continue supporting the government’s initiatives to promote self-reliance in India’s defense sector.
Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned into the IAF in 1986:
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 6, 1986. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), the Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh), and the National Defence College, he possesses over 3,500 hours of flying experience.
