Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit: He served in Op Safed Sagar and Op Sindoor: Meet Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who has been appointed Chief of the Air Staff set to take charge from October 31

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was appointed as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff, currently the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, by the government. According to the Ministry of Defence, he will take charge in the rank of Air Chief Marshal from the afternoon of October 31, 2026. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who retires from office on the same day.

Meet Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who served in Operation Safed Sagar and Operation Sindoor

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was born on December 9, 1966, and was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He, who is about to lead the Indian Air Force, has already handled some of the biggest jobs in the services. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, and later the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.He studied at the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Bangladesh, and the National Defence College.

His experience in the cockpit

Dixit has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience. He has flown the Mirage-2000, several MiG variants, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas, among others. He is also an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.

He has been part of several high-profile and important operations in the countryOver a career of nearly four decades, he took part in many operations and exercises, including Op Safed Sagar, Op Rakshak and Op Sindoor, according to the ministry’s statement. Safed Sagar is the name of the Air Force’s role in the 1999 Kargil conflict, and during Operation Sindoor, he was serving as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.

He has numerous accolades to his name

The ministry says he commanded a frontline fighter air base in the Western Sector and a premier fighter training base in the Southern Sector. He also received the Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2011, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.He is well known for backing the indigenous LCA Tejas and other homegrown aircraft projects, and he is expected to push the government’s self-reliance drive in defence further.