Context: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit appointed as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS); he will assume charge on 31 October, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. He is currently the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff.
Career: Commissioned 6 December 1986 in the Fighter Stream, IAF; has 3,500+ flying hours and flown Mirage-2000, MiG variants, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas.
Major appointments: Vice-Chief of Air Staff | AOC-in-C, Central Air Command | Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to CISC | Commanded frontline fighter and fighter-training bases.
Operations:Safed Sagar, Rakshak and Sindoor.
Awards: Vayu Sena Medal (2006) | Vishisht Seva Medal (2011) | Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2023) | Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2026)
Education: NDA | Defence Staff Service College, Bangladesh | National Defence College (NDC)
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS): Professional head of the Indian Air Force and a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Service Chiefs: Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs are four-star officers and professional heads of their respective services.
