Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 31: Air chief marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on Saturday, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, who retired after 42 years of distinguished service to the nation.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Chief Marshal Dixit was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on December 6, 1986.
Over a career spanning four decades, he has gained extensive experience in diverse fields, including operations, flight testing, capability development and joint staff assignments.
"An accomplished Fighter Pilot, Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot, he has over 3,300 hours of flying experience on a wide range of aircraft, including the Mirage-2000, various MiG variants, Jaguar and several transport aircraft," the IAF said in a statement.
The IAF said Air Chief Marshal Dixit is widely recognised for his contribution to the modernisation of the force. He played a key role in finalising the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and completing the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) activities of the LCA Mk-I Tejas.
His operational command assignments included commanding a Mirage-2000 squadron, a Forward Base Support Unit in the Western Sector and Air Force Station Bidar, a premier fighter training base of the IAF.
He also served as Air Defence Commander at Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer at South Western Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, where he steered key capability development and procurement initiatives.
He subsequently commanded Central Air Command as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief and later served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, during Operation Sindoor. Before taking over as Chief of the Air Staff, he served as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.
"Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is an accomplished graduate of the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Bangladesh, and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He is a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in recognition of his distinguished service to the nation," the IAF said.