Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force on Saturday, 31 October 2026, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retired after 42 years of service, the Ministry of Defence said in a release issued through the Press Information Bureau. Singh had led the force for about 25 months.
Ashutosh Dixit was serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff before the handover. The government had announced his appointment on 6 October, according to an earlier PIB release. He will lead the force until 31 December 2028, The New Indian Express reported.
Table of Contents
Who is Ashutosh Dixit?
Born on 9 December 1966, Ashutosh Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on 6 December 1986, the ministry said. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
He is a fighter pilot, an experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor. The PIB release puts his experience at more than 3,500 hours on types including the Mirage 2000, several MiG variants, the Kiran, Jaguar, IL 78, Hawk and the indigenous Tejas. It also credits him with a key role in the upgrades of the Jaguar and MiG 27 and in the Initial and Final Operational Clearance of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk I.
As a commander, he led a Mirage 2000 squadron, a forward fighter base in the western sector and Air Force Station Bidar. The New Indian Express said he is the first former commanding officer of a Mirage 2000 squadron to become IAF chief. He took command of No. 9 Squadron, the Wolfpack, in 2003, re equipped it with the French jets by ferrying them in from France, and was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for that work, the paper said.
His staff and command posts include Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, and Air Officer Commanding in Chief of Central Air Command. Before becoming Vice Chief in July, he spent about 14 months as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, a period that covered Operation Sindoor.
He holds the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, the Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vayu Sena Medal, the ministry said.
Farewell for the outgoing chief
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh received a guard of honour at the Race Course Air Force Station in New Delhi on Saturday, The Hindu reported. The New Indian Express said this was a first: the change of command ceremonies were held at the station on Lok Kalyan Marg instead of the cramped parking area near Air Headquarters. The new chief is scheduled to receive his own guard of honour on Sunday, the paper added.
Reports differ slightly on two numbers. The Week and India Today described Singh’s career as 43 years long, while the PIB release and DD News put his service at 42 years. The New Indian Express and DD News gave Dixit’s flying experience as over 3,300 hours, compared with the 3,500 hours in the ministry’s release.
A shrinking fighter fleet
The most pressing problem the new chief inherits is the size of the fighter fleet. The IAF now has about 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42, The Week reported. India Today put the authorised strength at 42.5 squadrons and recalled Singh’s view that the force needs 36 to 40 new fighters a year to stop the decline.
Delays in the indigenous Tejas Mk1A programme add to the pressure. India Today noted that the IAF ordered 83 jets in a Rs 48,000 crore contract signed in February 2021, with deliveries originally due from 2024, and that problems with GE F404 engine supplies and software validation have slowed the programme. Another 97 jets are on order. In all, the 180 Tejas Mk1A aircraft are running about two years late, according to The New Indian Express.
A separate plan to acquire 114 multirole fighters based on the Rafale received Acceptance of Necessity from the Defence Acquisition Council in February 2026, India Today said. The New Indian Express reported that the deal is still being evaluated and that the defence secretary expects a decision by the end of the year. Longer term projects, the Tejas Mk2 and the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, are still years away from service, The Week said.
The theatre command question
Dixit also takes over as the government weighs a long pending proposal to create three integrated theatre commands. The IAF has consistently opposed any permanent geographic division of its fighter squadrons, arguing that scarce air power must stay under central control so it can be moved between fronts, The New Indian Express reported. Singh restated that position last week.
The new chief’s tri service experience could matter here. As Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Dixit worked on joint doctrine and the Defence Forces Vision 2047, and described the move towards theatre commands as “a historic opportunity”, the paper said. He will now have to balance the theatre plans of Chief of Defence Staff General N S Raja Subramani with the IAF’s concerns.
Why the change matters for India
The air chief shapes how India buys and uses its most expensive military assets. Decisions due during Dixit’s tenure, on the Rafale deal, the pace of Tejas deliveries and the shape of joint commands, will influence the country’s air defence for years.
For readers following India’s armed forces, Bharat Stories has more on the history of Indian Air Force Day, the defence secretary’s tenure extension and NDA alumnus Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan.
Featured image photo: Colin Cooke Photo, CC BY SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. It is a representative photo of Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 jets flying in formation over RAF Waddington in March 2023 and does not show Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.
FAQ
Who is the new chief of the Indian Air Force?
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who took charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October 2026.
Whom did Ashutosh Dixit succeed?
He succeeded Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retired after about 25 months as chief.
How long will Ashutosh Dixit serve as Air Chief?
He is expected to remain in office until 31 December 2028, according to The New Indian Express.
Sources
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence, 31 October 2026: change of command, career, aircraft flown, medals.
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence, 6 October 2026: announcement of the appointment.
- The Hindu, 31 October 2026: guard of honour at Race Course Air Force Station and career details.
- The New Indian Express, 31 October 2026: tenure till 2028, Wolfpack squadron, theatre commands, fleet numbers.
- India Today, 31 October 2026: squadron shortfall, Tejas Mk1A orders and the Rafale proposal.
- The Week, 31 October 2026: sanctioned strength, AMCA and Tejas Mk2 timelines.
- DD News, 31 October 2026: takeover report and flying hours.