CISC Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is set to become the Indian Air Force’s Vice Chief on July 1, 2026. He is now serving as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, and recent official coverage from the Ministry of Defence still places him in that role.
A Pilot with a long flying career
Dixit was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 6, 1986. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. Official and recent reports say he is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot. He has logged more than 3,300 flying hours on over 20 kinds of aircraft. The list includes the Mirage-2000, MiG-21 and Jaguar.
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His flying background also includes major operational work. He has taken part in important service duties and has flown both fighter and support aircraft over a career that has stretched across almost four decades. That long experience is one reason he has been placed in some of the Air Force’s most sensitive planning and testing jobs.
Mirage and Upgrades
One of Dixit’s best-known postings came with the Mirage-2000 fleet. He commanded a Mirage 2000 squadron during a re-equipping phase. In that job, he handled the induction of the aircraft and also the acceptance and ferry flights of new Mirages from France to India. He was also linked with improving mission-planning systems for the aircraft. Those systems were later used in real operations and in exercises abroad.
He also worked closely on upgrade work for the Jaguar and MiG-27 fleets as commander of the Flight Test Squadron. That kind of job matters because it helps older jets stay useful for longer. His test-pilot background also took him to the Air Force Test Pilots School, where he served as an instructor. Later, as Director Air Staff Requirements for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft competition, he helped in the technical evaluation and field trials of six contenders. That process eventually led to the Rafale being chosen for the IAF.
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Prior Experience
Before this next step, Dixit served in senior posts such as Deputy Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. In those jobs, he worked on capability building, procurement, and force modernisation. He also worked on better jointness among the Army, Navy and Air Force, which is a big part of the military’s current push toward structural reform and theatre command ideas.
