IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Appointed as the Next Chief of Air Staff (CAS)
New Delhi. The Government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM as the next Chief of Air Staff. He will take over on October 31, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on his superannuation that day.
Presently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, in preparation for his succession, the 60-year old Air Marshal will be the 29th Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.
A fighter Pilot, the distinguished Air Marshal joined IAF on December 6, 1986 after passing out from the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA), where selected young officers prepare for joining the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. He is also an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College.
Before his appointment as IAF’s Vice Chief, Air Marshal Dixit served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC in C), Central Air Command.
He has served as an Experimental Test Pilot at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) and has also been a Qualified Flying Instructor.
During his service career spanning approximately four decades, Air Marshal Dixit has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises including Op-Sated Sagar, Op-Rakshak and Op Sindoor. He has more than 3,500 hours of extensive flying experience on various aircraft including, to name a few, Mirage-2000, variants of Mig, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, HAWK and Tejas.
During his illustrious career, the Air Marshal has held a number of significant field and staff appointments. He commanded a front-line fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premiere fighter training base in Southern Sector, contributing in the process. To some operational capabilities.
He was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2011, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2023 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2026 in recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service.
