Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes over as 29th chief of the Indian Air Force
The former test pilot succeeds A P Singh, who retired after 42 years of service.
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on Saturday, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retired after 42 years of service, All India Radio News and ETV Bharat reported. Dixit had been Vice Chief of the Air Staff since July; the government announced his appointment on 6 October, Outlook reported.
Commissioned into the fighter stream in December 1986, Dixit is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor with more than 3,500 hours on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG variants and the Tejas, ETV Bharat reported. The Defence Ministry said he played a key role in the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and in getting the Tejas Mk-I through its initial and final operational clearances, according to All India Radio. He has commanded a Mirage-2000 squadron and Air Force Station Bidar, and served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and head of Central Air Command.
Singh, a pilot commissioned in December 1984, had led the Air Force since 30 September 2024. Before leaving office he paid homage at the National War Memorial and received a farewell guard of honour, the IAF said in a post on X.
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