Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dikshit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force on Saturday. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who has retired following 42 years of distinguished service to the nation.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dikshit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. Prior to his appointment as Chief of the Air Staff, he served as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
Over the course of his four-decade-long career, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dikshit has gained extensive experience across various critical domains, including military operations, flight testing, the development of defence capabilities, and joint military staff functions. An accomplished fighter pilot, qualified flying instructor, and experimental test pilot, he has logged over 3,300 hours of flying time across a diverse range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various variants of the MiG series, the Jaguar, and several transport aircraft.
A press statement noted that Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dikshit’s contributions toward the modernisation of the Indian Air Force have been widely acknowledged and appreciated. He played a pivotal role in finalizing projects related to the upgrade of Jaguar and MiG-27 aircraft, as well as in completing the processes for Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1 Tejas. His key military assignments include commanding a Mirage-2000 fighter squadron, a forward airbase support unit in the Western sector, and Air Force Station Bidar—the Indian Air Force’s premier fighter training establishment.
Air Officer Ashutosh Dixit has held significant responsibilities, including serving as Air Defence Commander at the Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at the South Western Air Command, and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. In these roles, he spearheaded several critical initiatives focused on the development of defence capabilities and the procurement of military equipment. Subsequently, he served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Central Air Command. Later, during ‘Operation Sindhur,’ he served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff under the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which is chaired by the Chief of Defence Staff. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff in the Indian Air Force.
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has undergone advanced military training at the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh and the National Defence College in New Delhi. In recognition of his distinguished service to the nation, he has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
