New Delhi, October 6: The government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of Air Chief Marshal, with effect from the afternoon of October 31.

The present Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, will superannuate from service on October 31, following which Air Marshal Dixit will take charge as the head of the Indian Air Force.

Widely known for his role in promoting indigenous LCA Tejas and other indigenous aircraft projects in the force, Air Marshal Dixit is expected to further strengthen the government's Aatmanirbharta initiative in the defence sector.

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Air Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College. He has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Air Marshal has held several significant field and staff appointments during his career.

As Commanding Officer, he re-equipped No. 9 Squadron with Mirage-2000 aircraft and later commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector.

The Air Officer subsequently served as Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and held the appointments of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan).

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 Western Sector and a premiere fighter training base in Southern Sector. The operational capability of Indian Air Force has improved with contribution of the Air Officer in various capacities. He was awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, AtiVishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026 in recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service.