The government has appointed Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the next Chief of the Air Staff. He will take charge as the 29th chief in the rank of Air Chief Marshal from the afternoon of October 31, 2026, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who superannuates the same day, the Defence Ministry said. Dixit is currently the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, a post he assumed on July 1, 2026. An experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor, he has logged more than 3,500 flying hours on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and the indigenous Tejas. Commissioned into the fighter stream on December 6, 1986, he has served nearly four decades, including stints as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and head of Central Air Command. He has taken part in operations including Op Sated Sagar, Op Rakshak and Op Sindoor. His decorations include the Param Vishisht Seva Medal awarded in 2026. He takes over as the IAF pushes indigenous programmes like the LCA Mark-1A and the AMCA.