Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit succeeds AP Singh

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on Saturday assumed office as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), succeeding Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retired after an illustrious 42-year career in the Indian Air Force (IAF). The leadership transition comes as India focuses on strengthening its military capabilities amid an increasingly complex regional security environment.

An experienced fighter pilot with nearly 3,500 hours of flying experience across around 20 aircraft types, Air Chief Marshal Dixit brings extensive operational, strategic and administrative experience to his new assignment. Before taking over as Air Chief, he was serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.

The IAF accorded a ceremonial guard of honour to the outgoing Air Chief Marshal AP Singh at Race Course Air Force Station, following which he formally handed over command to his successor.

During his 42 years of service, Air Chief Marshal Singh made significant contributions to strengthening the operational preparedness, combat capabilities and modernisation of the Indian Air Force. His tenure as the service chief was particularly marked by his leadership during Operation Sindoor, which highlighted the force’s operational precision, combat effectiveness and commitment to national security objectives.

In a statement, the IAF acknowledged his leadership and strong personal connection with personnel across the organisation. It said his regular interactions with air warriors at various levels reflected his belief that the strength of the force lies in its people.

Born on December 9, 1966, Air Chief Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986.

Over a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, he has served in several important command, staff and instructional positions. A qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot, he has flown a wide range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, different variants of MiG aircraft, Jaguar and transport platforms.

Dixit has also played an important role in the modernisation of the IAF. His contributions included the finalisation of the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade programmes, besides overseeing key stages of the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) processes for the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-I.

His operational assignments included commanding a Mirage-2000 squadron, a forward base support unit in the Western sector and Air Force Station Bidar, one of the IAF’s prominent fighter training establishments.

Throughout his career, Dixit has held several senior appointments involving operational planning, air defence and capability development. He served as Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command and Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command.

He later served as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, where he was involved in key capability development and procurement initiatives. He later served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command before becoming Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

During Operation Sindoor, he held key strategic and operational responsibilities as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.

His academic qualifications include graduation from the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the IAF paid tribute to outgoing Chief Air Marshal AP Singh, highlighting his decisive leadership and commitment to combat preparedness. The force noted that his tenure, particularly during Operation Sindoor, strengthened its ability to respond effectively across different operational scenarios.