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Ops Safed Sagar, Sindoor veteran named new Indian Air Force chief
New Delhi: The Union government on Tuesday named Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of Air Staff, announcing that he will take over from Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retires on October 31
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New Delhi: The Union government on Tuesday named Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the 29th Chief of Air Staff, announcing that he will take over from Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who retires on October 31.
Dixit, who is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in December 1986. The 59-year-old officer will hold the top position till December 31, 2028.
He takes charge as IAF grapples with a worrying shortage of fighter jets, and several key programmes to bolster its capabilities need to be accelerated. The appointment also comes at a pivotal moment as the armed forces advance theaterisation, a long-awaited reform designed to integrate the military’s resources for future conflicts.
Deep Dive
“During his illustrious career, the Air Marshal has held a number of significant field and staff appointments. The operational capability of the IAF has improved with the Air Officer’s contribution in various capacities,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Before assuming charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Dixit served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command.
In four decades of military service, Dixit participated in several operations, including Operation Safed Sagar (during the Kargil war) and Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir. He was CISC during Operation Sindoor, the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror strike. The operation saw the three services work jointly for the best battle outcomes.
Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Command and Staff College (Bangladesh), and the National Defence College. An experimental test pilot and a qualified flying instructor, he has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience on various aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, different MiG variants, Jaguar and Tejas.
He commanded a frontline fighter airbase in the western sector and a fighter training base in the southern sector. He served as a Directing Staff at Air Force Test Pilots School and Principal Director of Air Staff Requirements at Air Headquarters. The Air Officer held appointments including Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects), Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air HQ, Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of Air Staff at Air HQ.
The delayed indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) is expected to enter service shortly after he assumes office. On September 22, he said technical issues delaying the delivery of the LCA Mk-1A are expected to be resolved within two months, clearing the way for its induction into the IAF.
He said two or three technical issues must be resolved before the fighter can enter service. His comments came days after HAL chairman Ravi K said the aerospace major will begin delivering the LCA Mk-1A to the IAF by the end of this year after resolving the final radar and weapons-integration issues.
The LCA Mk-1A is central to the IAF’s push to shore up its fighter fleet. The IAF has placed two orders for 180 Mk-1A fighter jets worth a combined ₹1.1 lakh crore. The first contract for 83 aircraft was signed in February 2021, followed by a second for 97 fighters in September 2025. The deliveries, which are likely to begin in December, are under the first contract.
The first Mk-1A aircraft, ordered in 2021, was due for delivery in March 2024. That deadline was missed due to a combination of factors, including US firm GE Aerospace’s inability to supply the F404-IN20 engines on time and delays in securing key certifications.
On October 3, Air Chief Marshal Singh said the delay in inducting new fighter jets is hurting the IAF, and the country needs to produce up to 40 aircraft a year to plug capability gaps and build long-term combat strength. The IAF is counting on the timely induction of the LCA Mk-1A, new multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) and additional Sukhoi-30MKIs to shore up its fighter fleet and keep the number of its combat squadrons from falling below 30 compared to a sanctioned 42.5.
