Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who superannuated after a career spanning more than four decades.
The change of command took place in New Delhi on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in a ceremony that marked both a farewell to one of the force's most consequential recent leaders and the beginning of a tenure that will shape the Air Force's modernisation at a critical moment.
The outgoing chief was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Race Course Air Force Station before handing over the baton to his successor. Singh, who served as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff, had led the force during Operation Sindoor, an operation in which the Indian Air Force struck multiple Pakistani air bases and military assets with precision, according to defence reporting.
His tenure, which began in September 2024, was defined by that operation and by the broader push to sharpen the force's combat edge in a deteriorating regional security environment.
Dixit, an accomplished fighter pilot, takes over with a reputation built over nearly four decades of service. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986, and has accumulated more than 3,300 hours of flying experience across over 20 types of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, the Jaguar and several transport aircraft.
He is also a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot, credentials that mark him out as an officer who has flown, taught and tested at the highest levels of military aviation.
His career carries a notable first. Dixit is the first former commanding officer of a Mirage-2000 squadron to become Chief of the Air Staff. After taking command of No. 9 'Wolfpack' Squadron in 2003, he re-equipped it with the French-origin fighters, ferrying them in from France, and was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for the achievement.
The Mirage-2000 has been a mainstay of India's air power for decades, and Dixit's long association with the aircraft gives him a direct, personal understanding of the fighter fleet he now commands.
Before his elevation, Dixit served as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, a post he took up on July 1 this year. Prior to that, he served for 14 months as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, a period that spanned Operation Sindoor. He had earlier served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, one of the force's key operational commands.
That combination of operational command, joint-services staff experience and the vice chief's office gives him an unusually rounded preparation for the top job, spanning flying, planning and tri-service coordination.
Dixit is known within the force for his strategic planning, and he played a key role during Operation Sindoor while serving in senior staff appointments. The operation, and the lessons drawn from it, will inform much of his tenure. Modern air warfare depends as much on sensors, networks, missiles and logistics as on the aircraft themselves, and the Air Force's leadership must balance the demands of immediate readiness with the long timelines of acquiring new platforms.
The challenges awaiting the new chief are formidable. The Indian Air Force is grappling with a shortage of fighter squadrons, delayed aircraft inductions, and a contentious debate over integrated theatre commands, which would reshape how the Army, Navy and Air Force fight together.
Dixit, who will helm the force until December 31, 2028, must speed up inductions, manage the retirement of ageing aircraft, and steer the Air Force's position on theatre command, an issue on which the services have historically held differing views.
His tenure will also see significant new capability arrive. The induction of the C295 transporter, the first aircraft to be built by private companies in India, is under way, marking a milestone for domestic defence manufacturing. The launch of GSAT-7C, the Air Force's second dedicated communication satellite, is also expected during his tenure, strengthening secure communications for air operations.
Alongside these, the force is set to undergo rapid modernisation with new fighter jets, transport aircraft and air defence systems, all of which must be absorbed, crewed and maintained while the force remains ready for operations.
The modernisation drive sits within a wider national ambition: building a defence industrial base that can design, build and sustain advanced military equipment at home, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. Dixit's background as a test pilot and his experience in joint planning are directly relevant here, since indigenous programmes succeed or fail on the quality of the dialogue between the armed forces, research agencies and industry.
His tenure will test whether that dialogue can deliver aircraft and systems on time and at scale.
In a related appointment, Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia has been appointed Vice Chief of the Air Staff with effect from November 1, filling the post Dixit vacated. The pairing of a new chief and a new vice chief gives the Air Force a fresh leadership team at the start of a demanding two-year period, in which decisions on acquisitions, training and organisational reform will have consequences lasting far beyond either officer's tenure.
The change of command also carried a small break with tradition. In a first, the guards of honour for the change of command were held at the Air Force Station opposite the Prime Minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, rather than at the cramped Air Headquarters parking lot near South Block. Singh received his farewell guard there on Saturday, while Dixit was to receive his on Sunday, a detail that reflects the ceremonial importance attached to the transition.
For the wider armed forces, the appointment is a reminder of the premium placed on operational experience at the top. Dixit's career, from a young fighter pilot commissioned in 1986 to the commander of a Mirage squadron, to the head of Central Air Command, to the joint staff and finally to the vice chief's office, traces the classic path of an air force leader, but with the added distinction of test flying and joint-service command.
Officers who have served under him describe a leader shaped by the cockpit as much as by the staff college, and that combination will now be tested at the highest level.
As he takes command, Dixit inherits a force that is respected, battle-tested and under strain, operating in a region where air power remains the most visible instrument of deterrence. His task is to keep it ready today while rebuilding it for tomorrow, closing the squadron gap, absorbing new technology, and holding together a force whose people, from pilots to technicians, are its greatest asset. The baton has passed; the work begins now.
(Reporting based on The Hindu and The New Indian Express.)