Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumes charge as Vice Chief of Air Staff
Before assuming charge as Vice Chief, Air Marshal Dixit served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff in New Delhi from May 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took charge as the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff on Wednesday, officials said. He succeeded Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who retired on June 30 after four decades of service in the Indian Air Force.
Before taking over as Vice Chief, Air Marshal Dixit was serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff in New Delhi. He had assumed that post on May 1, 2025, and relinquished it on June 30.
Air Marshal Dixit was given a guard of honour at Vayu Bhawan, the IAF headquarters, as he took charge as the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Before the ceremony, he visited the National War Memorial and laid a wreath in tribute to fallen armed forces personnel.
The HQ IDS said in an X post on Tuesday, "His tenure at HQ IDS was defined by landmark contributions that reshaped the contours of integrated defence playing a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor, a defining moment in India's national security calculus; steering the release of 20 joint doctrines and primers that institutionalised tri services thought; conceptualising Ran Samwad 2025 and 2026, an unprecedented military dialogue platform; orchestrating the combined and joint commanders conferences 2025 and 2026; and anchoring the formulation of the Defence Forces Vision 2047 - a transformative roadmap for a technology-driven, integrated and future-ready military."
The armed forces conducted Operation Sindoor in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Military officers and experts have often underlined the integration shown by the three services during the operation, which lasted nearly 88 hours from early May 7.
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1986, Air Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
The defence ministry had earlier said he is a qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on more than 20 types of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar.
With Air Marshal Dixit now taking over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, the change marks a new senior appointment in the IAF after Air Marshal Kapoor's retirement, while officials said Air Marshal Tejinder Singh is set to be the next Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took charge as the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff on Wednesday, officials said. He succeeded Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, who retired on June 30 after four decades of service in the Indian Air Force.
Before taking over as Vice Chief, Air Marshal Dixit was serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff in New Delhi. He had assumed that post on May 1, 2025, and relinquished it on June 30.
Air Marshal Dixit was given a guard of honour at Vayu Bhawan, the IAF headquarters, as he took charge as the new Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Before the ceremony, he visited the National War Memorial and laid a wreath in tribute to fallen armed forces personnel.
The HQ IDS said in an X post on Tuesday, "His tenure at HQ IDS was defined by landmark contributions that reshaped the contours of integrated defence playing a pivotal role in Operation Sindoor, a defining moment in India's national security calculus; steering the release of 20 joint doctrines and primers that institutionalised tri services thought; conceptualising Ran Samwad 2025 and 2026, an unprecedented military dialogue platform; orchestrating the combined and joint commanders conferences 2025 and 2026; and anchoring the formulation of the Defence Forces Vision 2047 - a transformative roadmap for a technology-driven, integrated and future-ready military."
The armed forces conducted Operation Sindoor in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Military officers and experts have often underlined the integration shown by the three services during the operation, which lasted nearly 88 hours from early May 7.
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1986, Air Marshal Dixit is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Defence Services Staff College in Bangladesh, and the National Defence College in New Delhi.
The defence ministry had earlier said he is a qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on more than 20 types of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar.
With Air Marshal Dixit now taking over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, the change marks a new senior appointment in the IAF after Air Marshal Kapoor's retirement, while officials said Air Marshal Tejinder Singh is set to be the next Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
