Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the newly appointed Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM, in New Delhi on Monday and conveyed his best wishes for the new appointment.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh described him as a distinguished air warrior with strong leadership qualities. “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,” the Defence Minister wrote.
Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit takes charge
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, also known as AP Singh, who superannuated after 42 years of distinguished service. The interaction on Monday was the first formal meeting between the Defence Minister and the new Air Chief after he took over.
On November 1, a day after assuming office, Air Chief Marshal Dixit set out his priorities for the Indian Air Force under the acronym ‘VAYU’. The framework is built around four stated pillars: vigilance and readiness, Aatmanirbharta, Yukti and unity of effort.
What the VAYU framework highlights
Under vigilance and readiness, he stressed that every squadron, radar, air defence unit and air warrior must stay prepared to respond at a moment’s notice. He also identified restoring the IAF’s combat strength towards the sanctioned level as a key task.
The Aatmanirbharta pillar gives top priority to indigenous platforms such as the Tejas Mk1A and Mk2, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), along with Indian sensors and weapons. The stated aim is to fight with Indian solutions in sufficient numbers to sustain operations and deter conflict through credible air power.
Yukti focuses 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.
The final pillar, unity of effort, calls for planning and fighting as one with the Army, Navy and national agencies, in line with the broader vision of Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation, or JAI.
Career profile of the new Air Chief
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 also known for his role in the modernisation of the IAF, including key contributions to the Jaguar and MiG-27 upgrade projects and to 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, then Air Chief-designate Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit called on Rajnath Singh, who congratulated him and conveyed his best wishes.
