Ashutosh Dixit Takes Charge as the 29th Chief of the Indian Air Force

What happened

The Indian Air Force has a new chief. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on Saturday, 31 October 2026, taking over from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retired the same day.

The handover followed a short ceremony in New Delhi. The force gave the outgoing chief a ceremonial guard of honour at the Race Course Air Force Station before he passed on the baton, The Hindu reported. The government had announced the appointment on 6 October, with effect from the afternoon of 31 October, according to the Press Information Bureau.

Why people are searching

• A change at the top. A new service chief sets priorities for the next few years, and many readers want to know who he is.
• Operation Sindoor. The Hindu described Dixit as an officer known for strategic planning who played a key role in the operation.
• Hard questions ahead. Reports on the fighter shortage and pending aircraft deals have put the new chief's agenda in the spotlight.

Who is Ashutosh Dixit?

Dixit was born on 9 December 1966 and joined the fighter stream on 6 December 1986, PIB said. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College.

He has flown more than 3,500 hours on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, several MiG variants, the Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and the indigenous Tejas. He is also an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor, a combination that gives him first-hand knowledge of how new aircraft are tested and brought into service.

His career includes command of a front-line fighter base in the western sector and a premier fighter training base in the south. He later led Central Air Command, served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, and most recently as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. He took part in Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor, according to PIB.

The challenges ahead

India Today reports that the force operates about 29 fighter squadrons against an authorised strength of 42.5, a gap widened by the retirement of the MiG-21 fleet. The outgoing chief had said the force needs to induct 36 to 40 fighters a year to reverse the decline, the outlet noted.

Deliveries of the Tejas Mk-1A, 83 of which were ordered in February 2021, have been delayed by engine supply and technical issues, while a separate plan to buy 114 Rafale-based multirole fighters still awaits a contract. Dixit's earlier joint-staff role is also expected to matter as the three services work towards integrated theatre commands.

What comes next

Dixit is expected to set out his priorities in the coming days. Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has been named the next Vice Chief, The Hindu reported. This page will be updated if the Air Force announces major decisions on aircraft programmes.