Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday met the newly appointed Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, in New Delhi and extended his best wishes for a successful tenure.
In a post on X, the Defence Minister described the new Air Chief as a distinguished air warrior known for excellent leadership. “Met with the newly appointed Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Asutosh Dixit. He is a distinguished air warrior known for excellent leadership. I wish him a wonderful tenure ahead,” he wrote.
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on October 31, 2026, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh (AP Singh), who superannuated after 42 years of distinguished service.
On November 1, a day after taking over, Air Chief Marshal Dixit outlined his priorities for the Indian Air Force under the acronym ‘VAYU’. The vision emphasises four pillars:
- Vigilance and Readiness: Every squadron, radar, air defence unit and air warrior must remain prepared to respond at a moment’s notice. Restoring the IAF’s combat strength towards the sanctioned level has been identified as a foremost task.
- Aatmanirbharta (Self-Reliance): Highest priority has been accorded to indigenous platforms including the Tejas Mk1A and Mk2, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), along with Indian sensors and weapons. The force will fight with Indian solutions fielded in sufficient numbers to sustain operations and deter conflict through credible air power.
- Yukti (Ingenuity): Focus on innovation in doctrine, procedures and technology, including networked AI-enabled command and control, layered counter-drone defence, responsive maintenance, force protection, resilience, and the use of near-space as an operational domain.
- Unity of Effort: Planning and fighting as one with the Army, Navy and national agencies, in alignment with the broader vision of Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation (JAI).
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College (Bangladesh) and the National Defence College, Air Chief Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. Born on December 9, 1966, he is an accomplished fighter pilot, Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot with over 3,300–3,500 hours of flying experience on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, Jaguar, Tejas, Hawk and others.
Over a four-decade career, he has held a wide range of operational, command, staff and instructional appointments. These include commanding a Mirage-2000 squadron, a forward base support unit in the Western Sector and Air Force Station Bidar; serving as Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer of South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff; commanding Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief; and serving as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (including during Operation Sindoor). He took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on July 1, 2026, before assuming the top post.
He is widely recognised for his contributions to the modernisation of the IAF, including key roles in the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and in the completion of Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of the LCA Mk-I Tejas. His operational experience includes participation in Operation Safed Sagar, Operation Rakshak and Operation Sindoor.
Earlier, on October 7, 2026, shortly after the government announced his appointment as the next Chief of the Air Staff (with effect from the afternoon of October 31), Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit (then Air Chief-designate) had called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who congratulated him and conveyed his best wishes.
The meeting on Monday marks the first formal interaction between the Defence Minister and the new Air Chief following the latter’s assumption of charge.
